Dishonored
by Liquid
Summary: Framed for murdering the Empress, and imprisoned by those responsible, Corvo Attano escapes with the help of a small band of loyalists. Now he must infiltrate the city of Dunwall in the role of an assassin, to both punish the conspirators, and find the Empress's missing daughter, Emily.
1. Chapter 1 Death of an Empress

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter One: Death of an Empress**

The pain was burning… intense… the smell of his own flesh sizzling under the red-hot iron poker filling the air… but Corvo Attano remained silent. This was not an easy task; gritting his teeth and pulling against the wrist and ankle restraints with all his might, while turning his head side to side… anything to take his mind off that damn poker. Then, just as quickly as it had begun, High Overseer Thaddeus Campbell, the one supervising this latest interrogation, snapped his fingers.

"Almost smells like supper." Campbell scoffed, stepping into the light as the guard backed away. "This may very well be your last chance, Corvo… sign this confession, and the pain will stop."

This deal had been offered time and again over the past six months, since Corvo had been dragged into Coldridge Prison, and as tempting as it was at times to sign his damn confession just to get a break from the suffering, it was the only thing keeping his execution at bay. The confession was false, of course; a document detailing how he had very cleverly killed Empress Jessamine Kaldwin in cold blood, kidnapped and hidden away her daughter Emily, and then _somehow_ allowed himself to be caught at the scene of the crime.

"Go to hell, Campbell!" He spat, making sure to get plenty of blood on the confession in the High Overseer's hand. "You know _damn well_ I didn't kill Jessamine!"

"Ah, my dear Corvo." The High Overseer replied, almost chuckling as he wiped the drop of blood from his cheek. "Truth is a matter of _perspective_ … guard, the meat is still undercooked."

Again with the poker, freshly heated in the nearby furnace, and pressed down in the same place on his body, while Corvo gritted his teeth. It wasn't always like this for him in Dunwall, though… six months ago he had been a man of importance… Lord Protector to the Empress, herself. Trusted to embark on a months long journey to the different provinces making up the _Empire of the Isles_ , because honestly… Dunwall needed help.

There was a plague ravaging the city… a terrible plague that was carried by a new kind of rat that had entered the city, possibly stowing away onboard ships from foreign lands. This aptly named Rat Plague was causing deaths by the hundreds, most heavily in the less affluent parts of the city. Work had started on a cure, but lacking facilities and funding for such an undertaking, the Empress had sent him on a diplomatic mission to get help from the surrounding provinces.

His mission was a failure, however, maybe because Corvo wasn't really a diplomat, or maybe because people in general were stubborn and selfish… either way, the response he had bene given was that the city of Dunwall was going to be quarantined; essentially blockaded until the plague had either been eradicated… or there were no more people around to spread it. Needless to say, it was not good news that he was bringing to the Empress… the last time that he would see her alive.

"All right, Campbell, that's enough." A new voice said, causing the guard to back off as its owner walked into the interrogation room. "We both know he's not going to sign it… a Lord Protector would have to be tougher than that… guard, give us a minute."

This man, with his shaved head, and overelaborate dress, was Hiram Burrows, former Spymaster to the Empress, who had immediately assumed the title of Lord Regent, after Jessamine's death. He had been there when it happened, as well… posing for a new portrait, while Corvo, carrying the Empress's ten year old daughter, Emily, in his arms, walked up to the terrace atop Dunwall Tower for their meeting.

Emily had met him at the locks, which brought small ships up from the ocean to the tower's entrance, and after giving him a kiss on the cheek, was content to be carried while questioning him intently about his latest voyage… stopping the questions only long enough to comment that she didn't think Hiram's portrait looked anything like him. After that, he had delivered the bad news, tried to comfort the Empress… and then Corvo wasn't really _sure_ what happened.

"Look, Corvo, you know there was nothing _personal_ in this, right?" The Lord Regent asked half-heartedly. "The Empress is dead, little Emily is hidden away, and tomorrow you are going to be executed before all of Dunwall… but it's all for a good cause."

Right, a good cause… that was what any sick person said when trying to justify their actions, and Hiram… he had the same look on his face as he described how he was going to be a kind of _shepherd_ for the weak people of Dunwall… as he did when placing him under arrest six months ago. Everything had happened so fast; one second he was talking to Jessamine, and the next there were these… people wearing gas masks like the ones used for whale oil processing… and they had just appeared like magic.

At first, he had been able to fight them off, regardless of the freaks vanishing every time he was about to kill them, only to reappear from behind with a strike of their own. After a few seconds, they vanished entirely, but giving only a moment of respite before someone else appeared; a man dressed like the others, but without a mask, and he did… something… some kind of glowing energy from his hand that lifted Corvo off the ground, and held him there like a puppet dangling from strings.

Completely unable to move, he was forced to watch helplessly as the assassin grabbed Jessamine by the throat, kicking little Emily to the ground while forcing her mother to bend over backwards on the guardrail. With a sword in his other hand, the assassin held the Empress down while plunging the blade all the way through her chest up to the hilt… ripping it back out a second later, and pushing her to the ground like discarded trash.

As for Emily, the little girl was running to her mother, when the assassin grabbed her, scooping her up with one hand, and then vanishing like the others… finally releasing Corvo from whatever that energy was that was holding him. The Lord Protector collapsed to the ground, and although weakened from the experience, managed to crawl over to Jessamine, holding her… just as her faithful Spymaster showed up with a squad of the City Watch.

"The people will declare us _heroes_ for delivering _justice_ to you, Corvo." Campbell added, stepping forward again. "Then, not only will we be the ones who caught Jessamine's killer, but when we reveal that little Emily has been _rescued_ after months of searching… this city will fall at our feet."

"You nearly sunk our plans, showing up a day early like you did." Hiram said, that same smug look on his face. "But having you, the Lord Protector, take the fall is _far_ better than the man we were _going_ to frame… of course, he had to die anyway, but like I said, it's for a good cause… guard! Take the prisoner back to his cell!"

Weakened and shocked from seeing the Empress murdered, Corvo hadn't had the strength or the speaking ability to defend himself against Hiram's _perfectly timed_ accusations, so the City Watch had detained him. Placed in chains, and dragged from Dunwall Tower like a common criminal, he was immediately taken to Coldridge Prison, where after the guards took their time working him over as a kind of repayment for the Empress… he was tossed into a cell, and every day was the same after that.

This time was no different; the guards coming into the interrogation chamber, freeing him from his restraints, only to drag him out into the corridor before working him over again. One of them clubbed him in the head from behind, another pushing him to the cobblestone floor, while the rest began their usual regimen of kicking and stomping him until they either got bored, or their legs got tired… whichever came first.

But even as the beating continued, his thoughts were not for himself, but for Emily. The poor little girl had to watch her mother butchered like an animal, and then she had been taken away to… he didn't even _know_ where. She was probably scared, though, wondering why he wasn't coming to get her, and there was no way for him to explain to her how badly he wanted to. Of course, there was no way out of Coldridge Prison… at least, no one had ever escaped from there before… leaving not a lot of room for hope as the beating finished.

"Doesn't look quite so pretty _now_ , does he?" One of the guards laughed as they picked him up off the floor. "Lord Protector, my ass… he's nothing but a common knife-man."

"Piece of garbage!" Another one yelled, slugging him in the stomach while two more held him up by the arms. "This one's for the Empress!"

Slugging him again, this time in the face, Corvo was dazed so badly that at first he didn't realize that the guards had started dragging him again. Down the corridors they want, with the former Lord Protector's feet dragging behind him, until they finally reached his cell… where they roughly tossed him inside. There was a loud _clang_ as the barred door slammed shut, followed by the _click_ of a turning key, but at the moment Corvo was more concerned with the loud _thud_ from himself landing face-first on the stone floor.

"Enjoy your last night alive, scum." One of the guards said as they all walked away. "You've got a _big_ day tomorrow."

Spitting up some more blood as he slowly rolled over onto his back, and groaning with pain for every inch, Corvo remained where he was as the hours past… or was it minutes? Always difficult to tell from within a cell with no windows. Well, hours or minutes, eventually he closed his eyes, only to have them open again upon hearing the familiar _click_ of a key being turned. The strange part about it was that there were no angry guards coming in… just the sound of a single set of footsteps moving farther away.

Again, trying to roll over, he had to rub his eyes, making sure that he was not hallucinating. For his cell door was now hanging open about an inch farther out than it should have been. But who would have unlocked his cell and just left it open like that… and more importantly… _why_?


	2. Chapter 2 Escape from Coldridge

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Two: Escape from Coldridge**

Dragging himself to his feet, and doing a sort of shamble over to the now open door to his cell, Corvo had to touch the iron bars and move them outward a little just to make sure that he wasn't dreaming. Nope, the door was definitely unlocked, and he was leaning closer to see if someone was watching him from down the corridor, when for former Lord Protector felt something crinkle underneath his feet.

It was a piece of paper that someone had left for him at the bottom of the door, and taking another look down the corridors as far as he could to make sure he wasn't being watched, Corvo bent down to pick it up. However, the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears before he could look at the note, so he pulled the door shut so that no one would notice that it was unlocked, and stuck the paper into the back of his pants like someone would do with a pistol.

"Well, Corvo, this is it, I'm afraid." A guard said as he walked up to the cell. "My shift's ending, and I'm off tomorrow, so I'm afraid I won't be there to watch you _shit yourself_ when they hang you, or behead you, or whatever they're going to do."

"Yeah, I bet you'll lose sleep over it." He replied, putting his hands on the bars. "I'll be sure to think about you during the event, if that helps."

The guard laughed at this remark, moving a little closer to the cell door, before remarking on how he was going to miss Corvo's unbreakable wit, since most prisoners became docile little sheep after the first month, at the _most_. This man was also one of the ones who had taken the most pleasure in the daily beatings that were given to him, often making sure to be one of the ones hitting him, instead of being content to hold him down.

"Hey, Corvo, I just gotta ask you one thing before the end." The guard continued, lowering his voice as if sharing a secret. "There's rumors all around Dunwall, but I just _gotta_ know… is Emily Kaldwin your daughter? If she _is_ , that would mean you had your way with the _Empress_ before, so… Jessamine was always so _proper_ in public, but tell the truth, did she like to have her hair pulled? Did you put her on her back, or did she like to be bent…

Most likely there was no end to the guard's inappropriate speech in sight, so Corvo ended it for him, interrupting the words by shoving the bar door into his face as hard as he could. Gasping with pain and surprise as the door broke his arrogant little nose, Corvo grabbed the guard before he could recover, pulled him so that his back was on the doorframe, and then he pulled the door closed even harder, slamming it into the guard's face with a muffled _bang_!

 _Bang-bang-bang-bang!_ The guard's face was heavily bloodied by the time Corvo stopped hitting him with the door, and the man was so dazed that the former Lord Protector had no problem pulling him into the cell, where he collapsed to the floor. Still partially awake, though, the guard tried to stop him when he pulled the sword from his belt, but Corvo ended this resistance by punching him in the mouth with the sword's hilt… making the guard spit out a tooth before losing consciousness.

Setting down the stolen sword, Corvo then took the guard's keys, before removing the unconscious man's clothes and boots as well. They were just about the same size, so Corvo left him lying there naked while he put on the uniform, only then remembering the strange note that he still hadn't read. So he took it out, unfolded the now heavily crinkled piece of paper, and saw that it read:

 _Emily can be saved from captivity._

 _The Empire can be freed from tyrants._

 _The Lord Protector can escape from prison._

 _Make your way to the sewers._

There had been a few attempts to break someone out of Coldridge before, _all_ of which ended in failure, but all of those had been tried by using _brute force_ or _explosives_. Corvo had never heard of an attempt that involved simply having a cell door unlocked, and then making the prisoner find his own way out… but maybe this could work… especially if _Corvo Attano_ still appeared unconscious from his daily beating.

For this sudden idea to work, the guard would have to look more like a prisoner, so the former Lord Protector took dirt from the floor and rubbed it all over his unconscious body, before dressing him in the foul-smelling rags that all prisoners wore. He then dragged him over to the cot against the wall, positioning him so that it looked like he had passed out while trying to get into bed… with his head conveniently ending up in the shadows.

"Have fun explaining this to your _Watch Commander_ , kid." Corvo said, walking out and locking the door. "You might be in here for a while."

Well, he was out, and after making sure to toss the note into a nearby furnace, Corvo had to keep his own head in the shadows as well. No matter how badly they had treated them, these guards were loyal to the Empress, and simply doing their jobs… except for the one who had so openly disrespected her memory by asking what she was like in the bedchamber. This meant that he didn't want to kill any of them, unless _absolutely_ necessary.

This also meant not doing anything crazy, like freeing the other prisoners in order to cover his escape, even though that would probably make things _a lot_ easier for him if he did. No, there would be no alarms, no riots, no killing… all he had to do was keep his head down, and since he was already shambling from the beatings, all he had to do was grumble things like: _'Tired, going home.'_ , and the other guards either nodded, or commented that they felt the same way.

A few times, Corvo had to take the long way around, in order to avoid more populated check-points, and this was fairly easy, since he knew all the lesser used routes throughout the prison. This knowledge came from the guards using these routes while moving him to different places, so that they could beat him even more without being seen by anyone who might have a problem with that kind of treatment.

So far, his plan of avoidance seemed to be working, allowing the former Lord Protector to round corners, and move up staircases without so much as being noticed… that is, until he was passing by the interrogation chamber, and the door suddenly flew open, nearly hitting him in the face as the guard in charge of interrogations came walking out. Corvo had been watching down another corridor, leaving him unable to keep from gasping when he jumped back… and the interrogator just stood there in shock for a moment upon seeing his face.

With as caught off guard as the former Lord Protector was at the moment, the interrogator might have been able to sound the alarm or call for help, if he hadn't been shocked by seeing him as well… and this hesitation cost the interrogator dearly, when Corvo grabbed him by the front of the shirt, and rammed his head into the interrogator's mouth. The big man spit out some blood as Corvo drove him back into the interrogation chamber, and after pulling the heavy door shut, he immediately rammed his knee into the interrogator's stomach.

The big man tried to call for help, but only managed to let out a wheezing sound before Corvo grabbed him by the face, and shoved him backwards into the torture chair. All yelling stopped, though, when the former Lord Protector drew the stolen sword, and put it at the interrogator's throat, ordering him to very slowly put the ankle restraints on himself, as well as one hand. See, unlike the other guards who were doing their jobs, this man had heard all the treasonous plots of the Lord Regent… and done nothing… nothing, except _torture Corvo_ , that is.

"Tell me something." Corvo said, using his free hand to lock the final wrist restraint. "You stood here, listening to all the confessions of Hiram and Campbell, time and time again, but you did _nothing_. Just tell me why? Why would you allow all this to happen?"

The interrogator opened his mouth and started to say something, but was stopped when the former Lord Protector took the sword away from his neck… and quickly slashed the blade across the big man's mouth… not interested in his excuses for such disloyalty. The interrogator cried out, blood running down from his mouth like a waterfall as his lower lip and front half of his tongue, both having been severed by the blade, flew across the room.

Spitting out enough blood and teeth for him to be able to speak again, the big man started screaming and yelling, none of which could be understood while Corvo walked over to the workbench at the far end of the room. There he grabbed the handle of the hot iron poker that was stuck in the furnace, and pulled it out, revealing the tool to be just as hot now as when it had been used on him earlier.

"Do you know what's great about this room?" The former Lord Protector asked, walking back toward the interrogator. "Screams and calls for help come from here all the time… so no one is going to come running in when I do _this_."

He then grabbed the big man by the hair, pulling his head back as far as it would go, before there was a sizzling sound as he shoved the poker into the interrogator's mouth. The big man kicked and pulled against the restraints, just as uselessly as Corvo had done under his watch, but not as silently. A few seconds later he passed out from the pain, leaving his mouth a charred empty maw when the former Lord Protector dropped the poker on the floor.

"Disloyal dog." Corvo grumbled, walking toward the other door of the room.

Once outside the interrogation room, it was back to his original plan of keeping away from all the other guards, although there were less of them around the closer he got to the front gate. It was strange, Corvo had expected the guards to constantly be on high alert in case anyone tried anything, but most of them were just kind of lazily moving about the corridors, or sitting at their desks, hardly paying attention to anything at all.

After all, this was Coldridge Prison, and only an _idiot_ would try to escape or break in. Normally, he would have said something to the Warden about this lack of awareness and security, but in this case it enabled Corvo to walk right out the front door, with only having to exchange polite waves with the guard in the control booth, who was clearly too far away to see the faces of those coming in and out.

With an electric _clang_ and _whirr_ , the main gate slowly opened, and once he was through… just another guard going home after finishing his shift… the former Lord Protector was able to breathe fresh air for the first time in six months. The freshness wasn't going to last, however, since the note had told him to go to the sewers… and down under the bridge that connected the prison to the rest of Dunwall… there was an open sewer grate, where water was lightly trickling into the nearly stagnant river.


	3. Chapter 3 Sewers of Dunwall

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Three: Sewers of Dunwall**

 _Slosh-slosh-slosh_ , the shallow water was cold on his feet as Corvo trudged his way toward the open sewer grate, and after ducking down to peer inside, he found another piece of paper nailed to the interior wall. The note ripped a little when he tore it down, but it was too dark to read the words inside the tunnel, meaning that he had to lean back out into the sunlight in order to see what it said.

 _Some of us didn't think you'd make it._

 _However, if you're reading this, you did._

 _Samuel is waiting beyond the east drains to the bay._

 _He will bring you to us._

When he had first discovered the unlocked door and note inside his cell, Corvo had suspected that it was some kind of a trap. For all he knew, it could have been a plot from the Lord Regent to have him killed for _trying to escape_ … which made no sense, due to the fact that he was already supposed to be executed tomorrow. And now that he was out of prison, making him run through the sewers in order to meet someone seemed like an awful lot of trouble to go through just to kill him.

However, the time for dwelling on such things was over, as an alarm began to blare from within Coldridge Prison, meaning that his escape had already been discovered. The former Lord Protector doubted that the interrogator would have been able to tell the others what happened, so they must have discovered the guard in his cell… probably when his friends had come around to give _Corvo Attano_ another beating.

"Hey, there he is!" A voice yelled from above. "He's down there! Hey, you, stop!"

"Shit." Corvo grumbled, scrambling back into the sewer grate.

The funniest part about all this, was if he hadn't stopped to read that note, the guards would never have seen where he went, and the former Lord Protector would have been home free. Of course, now he had to run, since any second the guards would reach the shallow creek, entering the sewer grate mere moments after. The tunnel was cramped and hard to walk through, even crouched down, but once beyond the drain, and into a main segment of Dunwall's sewers, it opened up into a series of normal size corridors.

 _Well-lit_ corridors, on top of that, with work lights having been installed all throughout the sewers and city streets alike as a way to keep citizens and workers safe… and all thanks to the seemingly inexhaustible supply of whale-oil. This glowing blueish-whitish substance was harvested from the large sea creatures, and used to power all manner of technology across the Empire. Yes, whale-oil had improved life everywhere, but right now Corvo was only hindered by it, since the work lights limited places where he could hide in the shadows.

There was no way of knowing how many guards had been sent after him, so the former Lord Protector ducked into the first shadowy place that he could find, which turned out to just barely be large enough to conceal him… as long as he sucked in his stomach. As suspected, the guards were only seconds behind, running down the corridor in single file, and thankfully bypassing him completely… except for the last one.

As the very last guard was running by, Corvo leapt from the shadows, wrapping his arms around the man's neck as they fell to the ground, and using his legs to keep the guard's arms pinned to his sides, so that he couldn't grab his weapons. The man flailed around, kicking his feet and thrashing his free himself, but Corvo's grip on his neck was taking its toll. Gradually, the guard's movements slowed down, becoming weaker until stopping completely when the man's eyes closed.

"Sweet dreams, kid." He said, moving off of him. "Now, let's see what you have."

Still recognizing that these guards were only doing their jobs, the former Lord Protector had no intention of killing him, or any of his friends unless absolutely necessary… but that didn't mean he was above taking their weapons or supplies. Turns out that the man had been issued a _pistol_ , along with a few extra bullets, meaning both that the others were probably carrying them as well… and that Corvo's escape was _not_ being taken lightly.

It was only a matter of time before the guards realized that they were no longer chasing him, so he needed to come up with a plan, but this was hard to do now that he had lost sight of the guards; their footsteps echoing from everywhere at once as they frantically searched for him. In this kind of situation, normally the guards would have given up, or at least waited for reinforcements… however, with Hiram giving the orders in Dunwall, it was likely that failure was not an option for them.

Trying to stay low and in the shadows while moving into another corridor, movement caught his eye up ahead as the guards were moving right toward him. They were no longer running, which gave Corvo a couple seconds to figure out how to get himself out of this one… and if not for those precious seconds, he might not have noticed the set of pipes that were running along the ceiling.

When the guards came slowly walking through that part of the corridor, they didn't notice that their target was right above them, wrapping his hands and legs around the pipes, hugging close to the metal so not to be noticed, and his plan was working… until the bolts on one of the pipe's rusty fittings broke off. One of the guards was smacked in the head with a loud _clang_ as the pipe bent downward, knocking him out cold as Corvo fell to the floor, and now the others were turning to see what happened.

"What the hell?!" One of them exclaimed. "Hey… is this _him_?"

No matter how great of a fighter someone was, taking on an entire squad of guards was _never_ a good idea, even though there were only four of them left now that two of them had been taken out. So the former Lord Protector let go of the pipe with the intent of trying to somehow roll away from the guards who were now reaching for their pistols, but to his surprise the pipe flew back upward to its rightful place, catching another guard in the chin on its way upward.

 _Bang!_ The guard's pistol went off as the pipe knocked him off his feet, causing one of the others to double over and collapse, having been shot in the chest… and although there was no way for anyone to have ever _planned_ for something like that to happen, the odds didn't seem so bad now. The two remaining guards were so shocked by what happened, that Corvo was able to kick the feet out from under one of them, kicking him in the face after he fell to the floor.

The last guard, however, was able to draw his sword, swinging it down toward Corvo, but just barely missing the former Lord Protector's face when he tilted it to the side. It probably would have been smarter for him to use his pistol, but the man was most likely too worried about accidently hitting his friends… allowing Corvo to grab onto his wrist, and bring his foot up into the guard's face.

"'I'm sorry about this, boys, I really am." Corvo said, getting to his feet. "I know you're just doing your duty, but I can't go back to prison."

Hoping that sparing their lives would be enough to convince them to give up the chase, the former Lord Protector stepped over them in order to continue his way down the latest corridor. As far as he knew, he was still heading east, but since he obviously couldn't see the sun, nor had he ever felt the need to explore the sewers of Dunwall before, Corvo was mostly going by guesswork. Guesswork that seemed to pay off when he suddenly found himself ducking through a narrow passage into sunlight once again… but this was not the exit.

After his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that he wasn't outside, instead that the sun was beaming in through a large hole in the ceiling high up above… maybe an old well, or a grating that someone had left open. Either way, it was too high up for him to reach, so he started across this vast chamber, looking for a way to keep heading east toward the drains at the bay… when he froze in place after noticing some of this room's _other_ features.

There were bodies; slumped and tossed about, lying in unnatural positions as if they had fallen from a great height, and worst of all, they had shown signs of being eaten. All over each corpse, there were hundreds of tiny bite marks, with some only being recently gnawed, while others had been stripped down to the bone. With another look up at the hole in the ceiling, Corvo realized that this was a dumping ground for victims of the Rat Plague… but plague or not, it had become common knowledge that bodies lying around tended to attract…

"Corvo Attano!" A voice yelled from behind. "Stop right there, or I will shoot you dead, sir!"

Trying to turn around without making any noise of his own, the former Lord Protector saw that one of the guards had resumed pursuit, but instead of trying to fight or escape, Corvo put his finger up to his lips in a gesture for the man to be quiet. Of course, the guard didn't understand, instead walking forward, continuing to very _loudly_ announce that there was no escape from Coldridge Prison, and that he was going to return Corvo back to his cell personally.

Still trying to make the guard understand the danger they were in, the former Lord Protector continued to put his finger to his lips, and drag a thumb across his own throat, trying to get this guard to be quiet for _both_ their sakes. This place wasn't some ordinary chamber, nor was it simply a dumping ground… it was a _feeding chamber_ , and thanks to the guard who just wouldn't shut his mouth… it was feeding time.

Drawn by the movement and noise, something started to flow out of some of the nearby drains, and at first it appeared to be a single, flowing substance that moved across the ground like water… only it wasn't water. It was rats; huge, plague carrying rats, over a hundred of them, all moving together with the goal of having a feast. Some of the rats stopped at the corpses, content to eat the remaining meat as they covered them like a swarm of bees… but the majority continued forward.

"Run!" Corvo yelled, taking off in the other direction. "Run for your life, man!"

 _Bang!_ Starting to back away from the swarm, the guard fired his pistol, killing several rats before starting to run… but his attack on them had taken too long, and then his screams started as the rats flowed over him like an ocean wave, climbing up and covering every inch of his body as their tiny teeth and claws sunk into him. There was no way for Corvo to help him, since even more rats were coming while the screaming guard fell over, so he ran… using this time to escape down the far corridor, and continuing to head east toward whoever this _Samuel_ person was.


	4. Chapter 4 The Hound Pits Pub

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Four: The Hound Pits Pub**

That first breath of real fresh air, or at least as fresh as it could get near the water in Dunwall these days, was a welcome feeling as Corvo finally stepped out of the sewers through the east drains. It had taken him about a half hour after witnessing the guard being devoured by plague-carrying rats, mostly because of running into dead-ends while trying to navigate the nearly identical tunnels, to find a literal light at the end, but now he was just glad to be outside.

Having lost his way several times, let alone his sense of direction, it was mostly luck that the former Lord Protector ended up on the right side of the sewers, instead of accidently ending up back at Coldridge. However, regardless of how nice it felt to be out in the open again, Corvo had to be more careful now since he was, well… out in the open. Hardly anyone looked down from the sidewalks of the streets that were high above this part of the bay, but just in case someone did, he stayed up against the rock wall while looking for whoever this _Samuel_ person was.

It was still a little hard to believe that he had just broken out of the most secure prison in the Empire and escaped through the sewers, all on the guidance of an anonymous note that might or might be a trap, or a joke, or anything at all. However, a few minutes after starting to search around the edge of the bay, the sound of a slowly idling motor reached his ears. The sound got louder when he climbed over a large rock, and there, sitting in front of one of the other drains, was an old man, sitting on a small fishing skiff.

Yes, there was a good chance that this person was the Samuel that was mentioned on the note, but then again he could have just as easily been… _anyone_ else. Of course, simply approaching and asking him could have easily led to the man screaming for the guards, so just like he had done down in the sewers, the former Lord Protector took a more stealthy approach. Moving silently and slowly over the rocks, and using the noise of the motor to mask any other clues to his presence, it was only a matter of time before Corvo landed on the skiff behind the old man while looping an arm around his neck.

"Stay quiet, old man." He ordered, putting the blade at his neck. "I'm looking for someone, and they're supposed to know I'm coming… so first you're gonna tell me _your_ name… and then you're gonna tell me _mine._ "

"Samuel… I'm _Samuel_." The old man choked through the grip. "Are you Corvo Attano?"

Well, he had passed the test, so Corvo released him, but made sure to keep the stolen guard's sword ready just in case this was still some kind of a trap. Not that the old man looked like he was looking for trouble, or could really _cause_ any in the first place, for that matter. He also didn't raise the alarm the first chance he got, instead grumbling something about the tightness of Corvo's grip, before throttling up the skiff's motor.

"I know you just got out of prison, Corvo." Samuel said as they started along the bay. "But try to relax a little, huh? We're headed to one of the _quarantined districts_ , so you won't have to worry about any patrols coming through."

This news both relaxed, and caused anxiety for the former Lord Protector, since the quarantined districts were places of varying size around Dunwall where the plague had such a strong presence that they had been essentially abandoned. There wasn't much that could be done about bay access to different places, but huge metal barricades had been constructed at all roads in and out of these zones, with the guards on the other side having orders to kill _anyone_ trying to get out, since they might be infected.

Samuel's destination turned out to be within the Old Port District, now just another forgotten quarantine zone, only a single barrier away from where Coldridge Prison was located. Until actually passing the barrier, Corvo was tense because all it would have taken was a single person to call the guards, and he wasn't exactly someone that people wouldn't recognize, since all of Dunwall thought he murdered the Empress.

However, nothing happened, and the two of them easily sailed into the quarantine zone, where it was different than he had expected. With the news of each new zone that had been reported to the Tower, Hiram had made it seem like the places were overrun with thousands of rats, as well as psychotic late-stage victim of the plague, known by the common folk as _Weepers_. Those unfortunate people had been driven to violent madness by the plague, and the name came from the blood that ran from their eyes like tears.

But the former Lord Protector didn't see any of that as Samuel slowed down upon approaching one of the docks; no Weepers, hardly any rats at all, and no gigantic piles of corpses littering the streets. In fact, this whole place simply looked like everyone had packed up and left… wait, no, there were one or two people, probably servants of some kind, going about their duties at… what was this place, anyway?

"Welcome to the _Hound Pits Pub_ , Corvo." Samuel said, further slowing the skiff in order for them to dock. "Admiral Havelock said he wants to see you the moment you arrive."

"Havelock?" Corvo asked, looking at the four-story building standing in front of them. "That name sounds kind of familiar."

Replying simply that it wasn't his place to discuss anything further, the old man tied off the skiff, allowing the former Lord Protector to step onto the dock. It was getting late in the day; the sun starting to set, leaving the world painted in an array of yellows and oranges… reminding Corvo of just how exhausted he really was. Not just from today, but from the last six months spent being tortured and forced to live in unthinkable conditions within the prison.

It was an odd sensation, walking into a tavern that didn't have any customers… aside from the two men standing at the far end of the bar… near the tap, of course. One of them was an older man with graying hair, who wore the uniform of the Imperial Navy… the other was younger, maybe a bit more so than Corvo, and for a man who was lurking in a quarantine zone, his clothes were certainly fancy.

"Treavor, shut up." The older man said, interrupting his companion upon realizing they had company. "Is that… good God, is that Corvo? He made it!"

"Yes, apparently so." His companion replied, trying really hard to hide his surprise. "I'm certainly glad I didn't take that bet with you, Farley… I would have lost everything."

Introductions began the moment Corvo reached them, and once it was revealed that they were the ones who had arranged his escape… it disturbed the former Lord Protector a little to find out that they hadn't been sure that he would be successful. Not that he was complaining, since he was no longer rotting away inside of a jail cell, but now the question came to mind as to why they had gone to so much trouble.

The older man was Admiral Farley Havelock, the self-proclaimed leader of a group that he called the Loyalists. His companion, well… more like partner in conspiracy, was Lord Treavor Pendleton, who claimed to represent the Nobility during this little venture, although he assured Corvo that they stood as equals for all intents and purposes. As for that venture, their goal was simple: Remove the new Lord Regent from power, and place the rightful Empress, Emily Kaldwin, on the throne.

"And you're the man who's going to make it all happen, Corvo." Havelock said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We've risked being hanged for treason to get you here, and a plan is being formulated to rescue little Emily from her captors… although we don't have her location _just_ yet."

"What the Admiral means, is that we are still finalizing the plans." Treavor quickly added, noticing the look of confusion on Corvo's face. "But all that can wait, you look positively exhausted from your journey… and I can't imagine things were too pleasant in Coldridge, either."

Listening to all this, the former Lord Protector was now convinced that this was in no way a trap… but rather, a well-connected partnership of men loyal to the Empress, who… didn't really know what they were doing, by the looks of things. However, the next thing that the Admiral said involved the news of a room having been prepared for him on the top floor, and that he should get some rest… advice that Corvo had no argument with whatsoever.

Still, the room was located on the fourth floor, which normally wouldn't have been a big deal, but with as tired as he was, the stairs seemed to go on forever. Passing a floor that had a few more servants moving around, as well as a third floor that was actually bricked off for some reason, the former Lord Protector finally reached the fourth… the attic… where his room had been prepared.

It consisted of a bed, a dresser for clothing, and a desk with lit candles, nothing compared to the luxury of living in Dunwall Tower for years, but it was a _hell_ of a lot better than his cell back in Coldridge. At first his plan was to get undressed and slip into bed, but Corvo only got as far as taking off his shirt, before the need for rest finally caught up to him. Instead of quietly slipping into bed, he fell onto the mattress like a ton of bricks; asleep and snoring before his head had even hit the pillow.

The feeling of a real bed was so nice after these past six months, but suddenly his eyes snapped open. The fatigue was gone, just as quickly as it had appeared, leaving him almost completely reenergized as he sat up in the bed… but also cold. The weather outside had been warm almost to the point of discomfort, but now it was like winter had come around for a second turn this year.

Looking at his breath when he exhaled, the former Lord Protector got to his feet when he realized that all of the colors of the room had changed as well; now looking kind of faded and washed out, with the light on the candles glowing blue instead of orange… and there was more light as well… intense blue light coming from under the door.

" _Corvo_." A distant, unfamiliar voice called.


	5. Chapter 5 Outsider's Mark

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Five: Outsider's Mark**

This was definitely not the Hound Pits Pub that Samuel had brought him to, Corvo thought after opening the door that _should_ have led back to the stairwell. However, beyond the threshold was a strange landscape made of rock and ice; all illuminated by a blue light that didn't seem to come from any one focal point, and that was bright enough to let him see that the land he was standing on was but one out of many large islands floating in… nothingness.

Pulling his coat more tightly around his neck in reaction to the cold, blowing wind, the former Lord Protector noticed that there was some kind of small structure off in the distance, and since there didn't seem to be any other options at the moment, he started toward it. There were no hills, walls, or other obstructions to slow him down, so Corvo reached the structure, which he discovered was a familiar looking gazebo, little more than a minute later.

"Jessamine!" He called, running in reaction to this new sight.

The gazebo was identical to the one on top of Dunwall Tower, which was why it looked so familiar, but as it stuck out of the rock and ice like a sore thumb, it was the sight _within_ the gazebo that really drew his attention. It was the Empress, lying on the floor in a puddle of blood, just as she had been after being stabbed through the chest… and Corvo ran to her, kneeling down and hoping that even _if_ this place was all some kind of a dream, that it might give him even a fantasized chance to save her.

However, this was not the case; the Empress was not really the Empress at all, but a piece of carved rock that perfectly resembled her, as was the entire gazebo. The only remaining feature of this place was the folded letter that was lying next to her body, exactly where she had dropped the letter Corvo had brought to her, during the murder. Unfortunately, upon inspection, this paper was not a denial to help Dunwall, but simply the words _YOU CANNOT SAVE HER_ , written over and over again.

" _I know what you're thinking, Corvo_." A voice said, making him jump back in reaction to the figure that was suddenly standing over him. " _What is this place? Why am I seeing such painful memories? Who is this man in front of me? I've heard all these questions countless times, but what no one ever seems to realize is that they are not here because of me… but I'm here because of them_."

Suddenly the wind kicked up, forcing the former Lord Protector to shield his eyes from the cold air for a few moments until it stopped. But when he opened them again, the island of ice and rock had changed… instead of a gazebo and Jessamine, the stone now resembled the interrogation room of Coldridge Prison, with a statue of himself being tortured by the High Overseer.

" _My, my, how your life has taken a turn_." The figure continued, his feet floating an inch or two off the ground as he slowly circled the statues. " _You were a man who had it all, Corvo… the son of a miner, who fought his way up to becoming the Lord Protector to Jessamine Kaldwin… protecting everything except her virtue, I'm told_."

Feeling anger at this strange figure for insulting the Empress in such a way, regardless of how true it was, Corvo found himself taking a swing at his floating host, only to see him vanish in the blink of an eye. Less than a second later, the figure reappeared behind him, giving the former Lord Protector a push toward the statue, where he fell into the suddenly empty chair. The stone wrist and ankle restraints clamped down on him instantly, immobilizing him while the figure vanished again, reappearing in front of him.

" _You were rich, respected, and powerful_." The figure continued as if nothing had happened. " _Sure, the Empress had to hide the fact that you fathered her child… most likely so that her own father wouldn't have you skinned… but alas… fair Jessamine is dead, and her daughter… your daughter has been stashed away somewhere inside the city… whatever shall you do?_ "

"Who are you?!" Corvo yelled, pulling futilely against his restraints. "What am I doing here?! Answer me, God damn it, or I'll…

Pulling again at the restraints, the former Lord Protector suddenly found himself falling forward onto the ground when the whole statue vanished like before, causing him to have to shield his eyes once again when the wind came. When it died down, the landscape had changed again, this time leaving a collection of statues on display in a half-circle around him… some of whom he recognized… while others he did not.

" _Oh, forgive me_." The figure answered, reappearing to float around these statues one at a time. " _After four thousand years of hearing terrified mortals ask the same questions, I tend to forget that you are new to this. I am the Outsider, perhaps you've heard of me… prayers said to me in dirty back alleys? Curses put against my name in the Abbey of the Everyman? Oh, and these expertly crafted likenesses are those who will stand in your way in the coming days… days in which you will play a crucial role_."

"I know some of these people." Corvo replied, slowly getting to his feet. "That's Hiram, the new Lord Regent… and that's the High Overseer… I don't think I know the others."

Hiram and Campbell's statues were standing in a small group with another, younger man who carried a sword, posed as if they were having an important discussion… then there were two men who were well off by the look of their fancy clothes, standing with a heavily bearded man who was holding a small flask of some kind, although their group didn't appear interested in each other at all. Next to them were another trio, this time of young women who were both very beautiful, yet identical in every way.

" _You'll meet all of them eventually, Corvo_." The Outsider said, floating past the trio of young women. " _I really shouldn't say anything, but just between you and me, I think this one likes you… and last but not least, you've met the group at the end only recently_."

The last group of statues was of a circle of four men, two of whom were the Admiral and Pendleton, whom he had met last night… one, an Overseer by the looks of him, that Corvo hadn't met… and the final statue was of himself. Clearly the last group represented the Loyalist Conspiracy to put Emily back on the throne, but then there was no more time for questions as the wind picked up again, this time with enough power to knock him off his feet… and then there was a burning sensation.

Even before the wind died down again, revealing a now barren landscape, the skin on the back of Corvo's hand had started to burn… and not just figuratively, but actually glowing as some kind of strange tattoo began to appear. It was of a design that he had never seen before, but once it was finished, the tattoo shimmered just a tiny bit with a blue glow that made the former Lord Protector feel… strange.

" _And now we come to the reason that we're here_." The Outsider said once the tattoo was finished. " _You've been in fights your whole life, Corvo… you've won tournaments, you've slayed assassins, and you even managed to keep the prisoners of Coldridge from taking your manhood… no easy feat, I'm sure. However, you will find that fighting single opponents is far different from going against an entire city… and that's why I'm going to help you cheat_."

As the Outsider explained what he meant, Corvo came to the realization that he had been marked, apparently with some kind of rune that would allow him to use what the Abbey would have called _heretical magic_. The floating figure of a man also explained that he had marked _hundreds_ of people like this over the years, and by the casual way he talked about it, the likely reason for such a gift was simply because he wanted to be entertained.

" _You will learn to use my mark in time, the knowledge coming when you need it most_." The Outsider continued. " _Now, how you use it is completely up to you, just as it has been with the others, but… one thing I've learned in four thousand years is that everyone is different. Oh, I can't wait to see what you do with my gift, but before I send you back to whatever destiny awaits… I have one more thing_ _for you_."

Vanishing and reappearing again right in front of Corvo, the Outsider now had something strange in his hands. It almost looked like a beating heart… a beating human heart… but that couldn't be, since the former Lord Protector could see gears and other machinery inside the heart through a small window on top of it. Smiling as he looked down at it, the figure commented that it was crafted by his own hand, with something precious inside… before shoving it up against Corvo's own chest.

No, not against… but causing intense light and burning pain as the mechanical heart was shoved right inside his chest, making the former Lord Protector scream and fall to his knees, suddenly unable to make any move toward stopping… whatever was going on. The Outsider smiled even more during the slow painful process, his completely black eyes locked onto the task at hand, until the heart was no longer visible. It had passed right through Corvo's ribs and flesh without leaving a single mark, and now he could feel it; the gears and mechanisms beating as if they had replaced his own heart.

" _So much pain inside you_." A familiar female voice echoed from nowhere. " _But you've always been strong… you can do what is needed_."

" _Success, she speaks_." The Outsider announced, floating back with his hands in the air triumphantly. " _Honestly, I thought putting that in there might kill you, but since you're still alive, there's no need to dwell on such things. That heart will give you valuable insight when it is needed most, but no one can hear it but you, so I wouldn't converse too loudly… well, unless you want people to think you've gone crazy_."

Honestly, Corvo didn't understand most of what the floating figure was saying to him, but after one last comment that the Outsider would be watching him with great interest, the island simply vanished out from under him. Now he was falling, falling down into the endless void of blue light, while the Outsider smugly waved goodbye to him.


	6. Chapter 6 Tools of the Trade

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Six: Tools of the Trade**

"This is about as far as I can take you." Samuel said as he brought the boat to a stop next to the docks. "City Watch's got a heavy presence near the water, watchin' for anyone tryin' to break quarantine, but I'm pretty sure you can get past them."

"Yeah… no sweat." Corvo replied half-heartedly, looking up at the searchlights and patrolling guards on the bridge above.

From the moment he had awoken that morning, it was straight to business with the men who called themselves _The Loyalists_ … not that he minded, since the summons to meet them down in the tavern, came from Calista, the one of the servants… who had a shapely body… and who smelled nice. After giving him the message, Calista returned to her work, stopping only to look back at Corvo once while making his bed… and this was where the pleasantness for the day had ended.

"Good morning, Corvo." Admiral Havelock had said when he walked into the room. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yeah, just fine." The former Lord Protector had replied. "A hundred times better than a jail cell, anyway."

He, the Admiral, and Pendleton had a quick laugh at this, but then the nobleman snapped his fingers, causing another of the servants to bring over a rolled up map of Dunwall. When opened, it only took a moment for Corvo to figure out what they were going to ask of him, since a red circle had been placed around a rather large building near the old distillery district… a large building that was the headquarters for the Abbey of the Everyman.

"High Overseer Campbell is one of the Lord Regent's biggest supporters." Pendleton explained. "We know that he was involved in the Empress's murder, but more importantly, we believe that he knows the location of her daughter, Emily… so _someone_ has to pay him a visit tonight."

Admiral Havelock next began to lay out a plan that was like something out of those ridiculous adventure novels that Jessamine had liked to read, and the more he described what Corvo was expected to handle, it appeared that they believed the former Lord Protector to be a hero straight out of those same stories. Breaking it down to basics, the plan was actually quite simple: He was to enter the city via the old distillery district, sneak into the High Overseer's chambers inside the Abbey's headquarters, eliminate him, and then retrieve his personal notebook from the safe.

Yes, simple… if one didn't stop to consider the City Watch, the Overseers, the searchlights, or the so-called _Wall of Light_ ; a sinister device created by a man named Sokolov, which literally burned anything that tried to pass through to a crisp. Then, on top of all that, Corvo was _somehow_ supposed to make it back to Samuel with the book, to which the former Lord Protector jokingly asked them if there was anything else he could do along the way?

"I'm glad you asked, Corvo." The Admiral replied, taking a drink of his beer. "It just so happens that an ally of ours, an Overseer named Martin, is being held in that same building. He's a brilliant tactician, _and_ he's loyal to the Empress, which… is why Campbell had him locked up."

" _Obviously_ , the High Overseer takes priority, Corvo." Pendleton added, setting his own glass down. "But, you'll find that Martin is a man of immeasurable talent, so be a sport, and free him if you can, yes?"

The mission to take out the High Overseer wasn't going to happen until sundown, so in the meantime, the former Lord Protector had been asked to pay a visit to a man named Pierro Joplin, and after stepping into the man's workshop next to Samuel's dock, Corvo was starting to realize what a motley crew the Loyalists had assembled. The place was a mess; books, papers, and odd-shaped tools littered the workbenches, unfinished blueprints for… _something_ … hung loosely from the walls, and the man himself… a tall, skinny man who had a look of nervousness and glee in his eyes at the same time… was drilling something.

"Hold on, hold on, it's almost finished!" The inventor yelled, causing Corvo to stop in mid-step just as he entered the doorway. "There… over there on the bench… those are for you."

Not entirely sure how Pierro know it was him, since the large drilling machine was between them, the former Lord Protector made his way over to the bench, where a large dagger was sitting next to a small crossbow. Since his new role in this conspiracy was that of an assassin, essentially, it made sense for him to carry a small weapon like the crossbow, but if he was forced to enter into direct conflict, Corvo thought as he picked up the dagger, he was going to need something a lot longer to…

Something went _click_ when he picked up the dagger, causing the blade to somehow extend outward to more than double its original length, and making Corvo gasp and drop it after the sharp edge slid across his other arm. There was a _clang_ as the weapon, which he now knew was some kind of sword that… _folded_ in on itself, and from how much pain was coming from the cut, he could tell that this was _definitely_ an assassin's weapon.

"Be careful with the sword, Corvo!" Pierro called from behind a shower of sparks. "I made it small so you could hide it, but it could _hurt_ you if you don't know what you're doing!"

Groaning from the cut on his arm, and wishing that the warning had come a few seconds earlier, Corvo reached down to pick up the sword, this time aiming the blade away from himself as he felt around the hilt. There was some kind of knob sticking up as his thumb passed around the top, and when he pressed it, another knob popped up while the sword returned to its original collapsed size. The weapon was nothing short of incredible, and although the former Lord Protector was pleased to have such a tool at his command… he was glad that there were no more of these things around Dunwall.

"And there we are." The inventor declared happily, sparks and noise stopping as he stepped away from the drill machine. "Oh, good, you found the sword… one of a kind, you know, made it myself… the crossbow collapses too… I figured you'd want to conceal your arms to make you less conspicuous."

The sword fit nicely into the sheath under his arm, and once he discovered how to collapse the bow of the ranged weapon, it fit nicely into a pouch on the other side. Of course, the concealed weapons, and strange features of Pierro's inventions were forgotten when Corvo saw what the inventor was carrying in his hand… what he had been working on with the drill. It was a mask of some kind, padded with felt and filled with strange features around the eyes on the inside… and carved to look like a grinning metal skull on the outside.

"What the fuck is _that_?" Corvo asked, pointing to the grinning mask. "Planning on attending a masque tonight, Mr. Joplin."

"Call me Pierro, _please_ , and no… I don't get invited to _those_ sort of parties… or _any_ parties." The inventor answered almost sadly for a moment. "This mask is for you, actually… I figure with you being the most wanted man in Dunwall, you'd want to hide your face… and put the fear of _God_ into your targets at the same time… try it on."

The former Lord Protector had to admit that the mask was _really_ scary, looking like the angel of death, itself… yet the thing was surprisingly comfortable when he put it on, and the straps fit perfectly onto his head, as if the mask had been specifically made for Corvo. There was something else, too… once the mask was on, Pierro stepped forward and touched the side of the skull's right eye, making Corvo gasp when the inventor suddenly appeared to be twice as close, as if he were now looking through a spyglass.

"Neat, huh?" Pierro continued happily, switching the vision back to normal. "I was worried that you'd get spotted if you had to get too close to some guards or whoever, but now you can be _twice_ as far away, and _still_ see what's going on, just… don't forget to switch it back before, you know… running or jumping anywhere."

Pierro had given him _a lot_ more than he expected in order to help him out in his mission, and since the mission wasn't going to begin until sundown, Corvo had plenty of time to practice with the mask and weapons. The hardest part of using the sword was controlling its length, resulting in several more cuts across his arms, but the crossbow was a lot easier to handle. Practicing how to better shoot while moving, the former Lord Protector fired at his target, ducked down in order to run to his next covered position, when something strange happened.

Just as he started to run, there was a tingling sensation in his hand as the Outsider's mark started to glow, and then in the blink of an eye, Corvo was crouched behind his next concealed position. It took him a moment to realize what had just happened, and now as the former Lord Protector looked down at the tattoo on his hand, he started to feel nervous about what the figure of a man had said to him about being able to use magic.

Unfortunately, this was not something that he was able to practice, like with the sword and crossbow, since as many times as Corvo tried to make it happen again, he didn't mysteriously… _blink_ his way around the practice yard again. Still, growing proficient with his weapons and mask was difficult enough, especially since he had forgotten to change the vision back to normal, and taken an embarrassing fall into the water while trying a simple jump.

In what felt like no time at all, the sun started to set, and it was time to set out with Samuel in his boat, and before he knew it, Corvo was docked at the edge of the old distillery district. Now, with the tools given to him by Pierro, the information passed to him by the Loyalists, and whatever the Outsider had planned for him… Corvo stepped off the boat, ready to put things right in Dunwall.


	7. Chapter 7 Obstacles

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Seven: Obstacles**

Beginning to make his way through the old distillery district of Dunwall, the first thing that Corvo needed to do was get a more accurate picture of the area around him. Evading the few guards of the City Watch that were patrolling the docks was easy, since most people on guard duty didn't actually expect anyone to come up to them causing trouble, and were therefore not difficult to sneak past from behind, as long as the person doing the sneaking was quiet.

So he moved away from the water, up the nearly abandoned street, but stopping once he had found an open window. It was dangerous to enter any home that wasn't his own, since the mask which concealed his identity, was certainly attention catching, and likely to prompt the residents into calling the guards… if they didn't just try to kill him, themselves, that is. However, regardless of the risk, Corvo's mission would likely fail if he didn't know what he was up against, so the former Lord Protector climbed up through the window, and into a stranger's kitchen.

This building was like any home; the lanterns having been turned off for the night, a few scraps of food left on the table from people who were too tired from the day's work to clean up after themselves, and the sound of snoring coming from the next room. However, Corvo wasn't there for sightseeing, nor could he allow for someone to sneak up on him, or even be aware of his presence… so he crept forward, before peering into the next room, where a family of three was fast asleep.

" _The poor, hardworking people of Dunwall_." A female voice said, almost making him gasp. " _Caught in the middle of struggles beyond their pocketbooks, watching others struggle for the throne, while they struggle for their next meal_."

Looking around for the source of the voice, as well as for any sign that the family was waking up, but they were still snoring away as if unaware. Strange… the former Lord Protector appeared to be alone, but… there was a strange feeling in his chest; not anxiety or stress, but more like his heart had been beating stronger than ever before, only to slowly reduce back down to normal once the voice stopped talking.

Was this the advice from that heart thing that the Outsider had implanted into him? If so, hearing the voice come from everywhere at once was unnerving, even if he _was_ the only one who could hear it, and either way, he needed to keep moving before that family woke up. Now moving into the darkened hallway, and up a set of stairs, Corvo's goal was to get as high up as possible, in order to plan his route to the Abbey's headquarters, and after opening another window on the second floor, the former Lord Protector was able to climb up onto the roof.

The building he had chosen was one of the shorter ones in the district, and although it didn't give him a very good vantage point, the roof allowed him an opportunity to climb even higher, in the form of an air duct that ran along the next building. Using this duct, and the one above it as a kind of ladder, Corvo made his way onto the next highest rooftop, and the next, until he was on top of a four story building, the highest around that he could find.

"Okay, then." He whispered to himself, changing the view with the mask. "Let's see what we got."

Beyond the next section of street, the former Lord Protector could see the wall surrounding the Abbey's headquarters; plenty of patrolling guards, and whale oil powered searchlights everywhere. The main gate offered the most obvious way in, but maybe if he went around a ways, he would be able to find another unsecured window, or a side entrance that could be picked without the risk of being spotted… or still, maybe he could just scale the wall from a darkened spot further down the road.

Whichever way he decided to go, it was all a moot point until he managed to find a way past the wall of light. The glowing, deadly barrier of almost invisible energy had been installed underneath a covered area of the street, in perfect position to stop anyone who was trying to come in from the water, and there were three guards standing a permanent checkpoint in from of it. As powerful as the wall of light was, the best way to get past them was to remove the tank of whale oil that powered the device.

That tank was positioned right next to the barrier, and would be highly dangerous to try and disable, so it was starting to look like the former Lord Protector's best option was to wait until the tank needed to be changed out, and then simply head through during the changeover. Unfortunately, from there the tank looked almost full, and Corvo was on a bit of a time limit… but then the idea struck him.

Since the wall of light had been installed underneath a covered area, and he was already up even higher than that covered area was… why didn't he just stay up high, and bypass the wall completely? Yes, that was a perfect idea, and the guards would never know that he was there, unlike what would happen if he tried to tamper with the device. Okay, now all he had to do was find a way to get over to the ledge, but it was too far to jump, and there were no other platforms that he could…

Having to close his eyes for a second in reaction to a sudden gust of wind, opening them and gasping at how the world had changed. Corvo was no longer on the roof, but on top of a lamp post that had been between it and the covered area, that he had to quickly wrap his arms and legs around in order to keep from falling. The post swayed back and forth under his weight, seeming to move a little more forward each time before trying to correct itself. This was the second time that the Outsider's special ability had caught him off guard, but worse yet… he couldn't figure out how to control it.

"Come on… come on." He whispered, concentrating on the covered area's ledge. "Come on, move… damn it, _move_."

But nothing happened, leaving the former Lord Protector hanging on top of the swaying lamp post like a lizard… while a metallic straining and popping noise started to come from down at the base. The good news was that each time the post bent forward, it got him closer to the covered area, but the bad news was that it was a little harder for the post to swing back each time as well, meaning that one of these times very soon, it would…

"Oh, shit!" Corvo whispered harshly, leaping from the post when it finally started to collapse.

For a moment it looked like he was going to fall, but instead of plummeting to his death on the cobblestone road, the former Lord Protector managed to grab onto the ledge of the covered area. It took all of his strength, and even more luck to swing his leg up on top, pulling himself up onto the covered area just before there was a _crash_ , followed by the sound of glass shattering down below.

Instantly, all of the nearby guards ran toward the sound, and as he got to his feet, Corvo heard one of them yelling something about _cheap construction_ , and asking if a guard named Floyd was all right? Hopefully, he was, the former Lord Protector thought as he moved across the covered area. Again, these men weren't traitors, they were just guards doing their jobs, and Corvo kept telling himself that while finding a way down the other side of the covered area.

Turns out that moving down from a high rooftop was a lot easier than going up, since all he needed was a suitable place to land, and gravity would take care of the rest… unless that place to land was too far down, and he needed to climb carefully… both of which were needed to get back down to the street. So using vents, window ledges, and a little blind faith toward the end when he jumped into the bushes, Corvo found himself doing a painful tuck and roll when the bushes weren't strong enough to catch him.

Well, the wall of light was behind him, and for now he was in the shadows, making it easier to move… but he still had to time his brief sprints through the illuminated areas carefully, making sure that the guards were either turned away, or distracted before passing through. Somehow, he had made it all the way along the wall without drawing any attention to himself, but as luck would have it… there was no other way in besides the front gate.

"Oh, quit being such an ass." A guard said, forcing Corvo to hide behind a post as he and another guard came around the corner. "I've _seen_ the other man your sister dates, and I'd be the best thing for her."

"You can't even pay your _bar tab_." His companion replied. "How the hell do you expect to take care of a _woman_?"

The two of them continued their discussion, passing right by Corvo without noticing a thing, and as soon as they rounded the next corner, the former Lord Protector knew that he really had only one option. Nearly risking exposure to more light as he backed away, he sprinted forward, grabbing onto the bars of the wall after leaping, and then shimmying his way up to the top. Having to freeze in place when another guard passed by, Corvo remained undetected when he resumed the climb, swinging his leg over the top bar of the wall, and dropping down over the other side.

Unfortunately, the drop on this side was farther than by the street, but unlike the last time he fell, the bushes were just strong enough to catch him. Hopefully, someday when the story about how he rescued Emily and punished all these traitors was told… assuming he lived through this insanity… the storytellers would leave out all the mistakes he made, such as nearly falling to his death twice on the first night out. What they _could_ tell about, however, was that the former Lord Protector had managed to make it past the outer wall of the Abbey's headquarters, and…

"Aw, come on, Martin, why so glum?" A voice said from up ahead. "I hear they're gonna give you the _Heretic's Mark_ in the morning, and that's something not a lot of Overseers have managed."

Peering over the bushes, Corvo saw that there was some kind of large statue in the center of the courtyard up ahead, and that chained to it, on his knees with arms outstretched to the sides, was a man in the typical metal mask of an Overseer. Well, maybe not so typical, since the mouth hole was covered, making him unable to say anything intelligible, and standing in front of him was another Overseer, who apparently took great amusement at the chained man's torment.

"You're gonna be an _outcast_ , Martin, does that scare you?" The tormentor continued, laughing while the chained man hung his head. "It'll be against the law for anyone to give you shelter, feed you… you're gonna starve to death in the streets."

Given that the chained man's name was Martin, and that he was in his current position, made it very likely that this was the man Pendleton had asked him to save if there was time. So creeping out of the bushes, and starting toward the courtyard, Corvo was going to enjoy this one, since the tormentor reminded him of the guards at Coldridge Prison. Honestly, the former Lord Protector hated bullies… but he _loved_ teaching them a lesson.


	8. Chapter 8 High Overseer Campbell

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Eight: High Overseer Campbell**

Humming a little to himself as he locked the last shackle into place, Corvo turned back toward the newly freed Martin, who was stretching his arms and moving his jaw around as if having spent a good amount of time trapped between those statues. The Overseer who had been previously taunting him, now let out a muffled, incoherent yell as he pulled at the shackles unsuccessfully… but the hopelessness of his new situation didn't stop Martin from stepping up, and kicking him really hard in the groin.

"Aw, did that hurt, _Martin_?" Martin asked, chuckling a bit at his former tormenter's pain. "Don't worry, they'll be giving you the _Heretic's Mark_ soon."

The former tormentor's screams that followed were muffled and incoherent like his other attempt to sound the alarm, but this along with the constant fighting to free himself, was starting to draw the attention of others, prompting the former Lord Protector and the real Martin to retreat to the shadows. A few moments later some of the other mask-wearing Overseers arrived on the scene, causing the prisoner to try communicating… an attempt that was met with a boot to the face.

"For Pete's sake, Martin, have some dignity." The one who kicked him said. "You don't want to be remembered as a coward _and_ a heretic, do you?"

The small group laughed as the former tormentor's struggles continued, but he was ignored when they continued on their way, and thus, both Corvo's infiltration _and_ Martin's escape went unnoticed. Since the former prisoner was mostly unharmed, his mask now allowed him a way to leave the compound and head back to the tavern, and he had bene more than happy to tell him the best ways into the building… but before he was to be off, there was one more thing that the former Lord Protector wanted to know.

"So, what exactly _is_ this _Heretic's Mark_?" Corvo asked after escorting Martin back to the fence.

"It's the highest punishment for criminals within our order." The Overseer explained. "It's a brand that goes on your face, and your life is over once you get it; you're shunned by society, your word and accomplishments amount to shit, and its illegal for anyone to give you aid or shelter in any way… regardless of who you are or what your sob-story is."

Well, this was certainly an interesting development, and if what Martin was telling him was true, it offered him a possible way to get an even more satisfying form of revenge on the High Overseer. Yes, the easiest way to punish the man was to kill him, but after betraying the Empress, framing Corvo for the crime, and doing who knows _what_ to Emily, Campbell deserved to spend the rest of his life suffering, and death almost sounded like letting him off easy.

"Tell me how to use the mark." Corvo continued. "Where is it, and what do I do?"

Martin was only too happy to share this information before sneaking around the fence, and vanishing into the night; informing him that the chamber where the mark was stored was a good distance away from the High Overseer's quarters, but in order to use it, the one to be marked needed to be brought there in order to make sure that it was executed properly. It would be a hell of a risk, and if for some reason he couldn't use the mark, there was still the option of simply killing the man, so why not?

There was also a bit of a time limit, since there was always the risk of the High Overseer being called away for some important situation, and Corvo needed to get to him before anything like that could happen. According to Martin, the best way to get into the building was to enter through a barred window that led into what he called _Campbell's Private Room_ , giving him access to a private staircase in the basement.

Well, this seemed a hell of a lot easier than breaking in through the front door, although after finding the window in question, the bars themselves were a bit of an obstacle. Thankfully, it was also hidden behind a large hedge, and where the bars were sturdy, the construction of the wall they were bolted to was not. So, waiting until there was no one patrolling nearby, Corvo sat down, bracing his feet on the wall while grabbing onto the bars, and pulling…

 _Pop_ … the wall crumbled around each bolt, dropping down some mortar dust as the whole bar-unit was simply removed from its place, giving the former Lord Protector a way to enter the headquarters of the Abbey. It seemed that no one had noticed the sound, so Corvo slipped into the private room with ease. But it was strange… he had been expecting a place of quiet reflection, being the sanctuary of the High Overseer, but what he found in that room was not the case.

There was a large bed, and soft pillows piled on the floor, along with an artist's easel that held the mostly finished painting of a naked young woman… lying on those very pillows, by the looks of it. And this painting wasn't alone; there were a dozen others, all of naked young woman lying on the pillows in an identical pose to the first, as if Campbell had been bringing them into the room just to paint them like that… actually, no… the presence of women's undergarments among the pillows suggested that he brought them in for _a lot_ more than painting.

" _Hello, Corvo_." A voice said next to him, making the former Lord Protector gasp and fall on his rear after tripping on the pillows. " _Ah, quite the pose you're striking… perhaps the High Overseer would like to paint you as well?_ "

As startling as it was to see the Outsider floating there, hovering maybe two inches above the bed while positioned as if he were sitting on it, but the burning question in Corvo's mind at the moment was _how_? In all of the stories and warnings he had heard in Dunwall about the Outsider, they all said that people were either drawn into his world, or the figure was contacted through the construction of forbidden shrines and rituals.

" _Don't look so surprised to see me, Corvo_." The Outsider continued, chuckling a bit. " _I can bestow what you call magic on others, and watch the whole world at once… so how much trouble should I have entering the world? Anyway, I couldn't help overhearing your plan for Campbell, but are you really going to go through all that trouble, when you could just kill him outright?_ "

"He deserves it." The former Lord Protector answered, slowly getting to his feet. "I wasn't born into luxury, I was raised on the streets… I've seen men like _him_ , lording their position to torture young men, and then forcing girls into rooms like this so he can… he just deserves it."

The figure nodded slightly, musing on about how he had first seen an image of Campbell lying dead on the floor of his chambers, but now there was another possibility of distantly seeing a broken, humbled man who no longer held any ambitions beyond how to survive another day. Of course, which one was going to become reality would be the subject of great interest for the Outsider, since the choices of mortal men often were.

And with that, the figure faded away, leaving Corvo once again alone in the High Overseer's private room, a place for which the former Lord Protector had lost his taste. There was only a single door, activated by pressing a switch that was easy enough to find, and once he had stepped through, the door closed, leaving nothing except the impression of a solid wall when it locked into place.

Like Martin had said, there was a dimly lit and sparsely used staircase waiting for him in the room beyond, with not much else to be seen, as if someone forgot to tell the rest of the Overseers about an entire wing of their headquarters… but after quietly ascending the stairs, and peeking into the keyhole of the door at the top, Corvo realized why that was. There was an elaborately decorated bedchamber on the other side, with a brightly lit fireplace, a large safe against the far wall… and a man walking into the room… a man who made Corvo's blood boil.

It was the High Overseer, himself… this room he was looking into must've been Campbell's chambers, explaining why the staircase into his private room was so seldomly used. Part of Corvo couldn't believe that he was this close to his target already, and he was definitely glad that he had chosen to save Martin, or else even finding his way to Campbell might have been far more difficult, regardless of how he chose to deal with the man.

Without any idea that something was wrong, or any suspicion of what was coming, Campbell walked across the room, and after messing with another one of Sokolov's machines, soft music started to play. Soft music that just so happened to mask the soft scratching sound of a certain former Lord Protector starting to pick the lock. This was yet another of the handy skills that he had picked up while living on the streets in his youth, and soon there was a rewarding _click_ when the lock opened.

Oh, this must have truly been Corvo's lucky night, because not only was his target in sight, not only was his back turned while the private door swung open, but now Campbell was opening his safe… where according to the Loyalists, the black book he was there to steal was hidden. There was no time to lose, so the former Lord Protector shoved the door open, and sprinted across the bedchamber. Campbell must've heard the approaching footsteps, because he quickly turned around with a knife in his hand… just in time to see Corvo's fist coming at his face.

 _Whack!_ The High Overseer didn't even have time to cry out, before he was sent reeling backwards, hitting his head on the safe with a loud _cong_ , before collapsing to the floor. The former Lord Protector started to reach for him, but stopped… he needed the book in order to find Emily, so he stepped over Campbell, quickly searching the still open safe. There was plenty of money and jeweler, none of which he needed, but finally at the bottom… was a small, leather-bound journal.

"Did you hear that sound?!" A voice from outside asked. "It came from the High Overseer's room!"

There were a couple more voices now, each agreeing that they heard something, and thankfully they didn't just kick open the door right away… instead politely knocking, and calling for the unconscious Campbell. Even if they weren't willing to break down the door, it wasn't going to take long for one of them to go and get a master key, so Corvo needed to act fast. Closing the safe while they were calling for him, the former Lord Protector picked up Campbell and carried him over to the bed.

As suspected, one of them had been sent for the key, opening the door upon his return, and the four Overseers rushing in to see… Campbell apparently sleeping under his blankets, with his head conveniently turned so that any forming bruises couldn't be seen… and with the blankets draping down far enough so that no one could see Corvo hiding underneath the bed, his crossbow aimed at the nearest of them.

"Shit, everyone shut up!" The nearest one whispered. "We don't wanna wake him up; let's go… _quietly_."

The four of them scrambled back out the door, closing and locking it before their footsteps faded away, allowing Corvo to let out a long sigh of relief while crawling out from under the bed. Well, he had the book, and Campbell was unconscious… now all he had to do was decide what to do with him.


	9. Chapter 9 Mark of the Heretic

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Nine: Mark of the Heretic**

Ignoring how long it had taken for him to get the High Overseer into the chamber that was used for bestowing the Heretic's Mark… and how long it had taken to find the chamber… and doing so without alerting any of the patrolling Overseers that roamed the corridors outside Campbell's chambers… it gave Corvo a pretty good feeling to toss this traitor into the chair. Locking down the restraints on his wrists and ankles, as Campbell had ordered done to him so many times in Coldridge Prison, the former Lord Protector made sure to shove a cloth into his mouth as well… after all, the High Overseer had done enough talking.

Hanging up a rather convenient sign on the door that read simply: _DO NOT DISTURB_ , Corvo set about making the preparations, beginning with heating up the furnace that would be used to make the branding iron red-hot, causing the dimly lit chamber to be flooded with orange, flickering light. It would take a while for the iron to reach the required temperature, so the former Lord Protector placed it into the fire, before taking notice of the large engraved plaque on the wall, listing _The Sever Strictures_ , or things that the Overseers sought to overcome. It read:

 _THE SEVEN STRICTURES_

 _I THE WANDERING GAZE_

 _II THE LYING TONGUE_

 _III RESTLESS HANDS_

 _IV ROVING FEET_

 _V RAMPANT HUNGER_

 _VI WANTON FLESH_

 _VII THE ERRANT MIND_

"Hmph… looks like you've broken just about _all_ of these, Campbell." Corvo said to himself, drawing some water into a bucket from a nearby faucet. "Wake up time."

Picking up the bucket and tossing the water onto the High Overseer, the former Lord Protector watched in amusement while Campbell awoke with a start; taking him a minute to realize where he was, and then pulling uselessly at his restraints, just as Corvo had been made to do many times. The High Overseer tried to call for help, but only managed muffled groans through the rag in his mouth, freezing in place when he saw the masked figure standing in front of him.

Heavily debating whether or not to keep the mask on, Corvo decided that after being betrayed, imprisoned, and tortured by this man, it was only fitting that Campbell get to see the face of the one who was to pronounce judgement over him. So with a _click_ , the mask was removed, and if the High Overseer appeared frightened before, he was absolutely mortified to find out who was wearing the mask.

"Nice to see you again, _High Overseer_." Corvo said, moving up closer to him. "Let me ask you a question, Campbell: You and your traitorous friends conspired to assassinate the Empress, you kidnapped her daughter, most likely to be your puppet later, and set yourselves up to rule Dunwall as you see fit, so… was it worth it? Now that you're here with me, I mean?"

Campbell tried to say something through the rag, appearing to be more desperate than angry, and most likely trying to strike some kind of a deal with Corvo, _especially_ when he realized where he had been taken. However, the former Lord Protector didn't have time for deals or begging, especially since the iron was ready, judging by the red-hot color of the brand when he took it out of the furnace.

"It's funny, isn't it, Campbell?" Corvo asked, slowly walking back over to him. "You could've been the High Overseer and lived in the lap of luxury for the rest of your life, but no, that wasn't enough for you, was it? Perhaps if you had studied your own Structures more thoroughly, this could have been avoided… but now you'll be able to see how it feels to lose _everything_ , like I did."

Struggling to get away as the former Lord Protector stood over him, Campbell was easily restrained by grabbing him by the neck, and then he screamed when Corvo shoved the red-hot brand into his face. The sound of sizzling meat could be heard on top of Campbell's muffled shriek, and some of the skin on his face bubbled up while the Heretic's Mark was permanently seared into him, heavy, black, and obvious for all to see.

"Have a nice life, Campbell." Corvo said, roughly pulling the rag from his mouth. "I'd call for help right about now if I were you."

So Campbell did, shrieking and yelling for help while the former Lord Protector ducked into the shadows. However, instead of escaping right away, he tossed the branding iron back into the furnace, and climbed up onto a tall cabinet. From there, he was able to get up on top of one of the room's unlit, hanging light fixtures… there was no way that he was going to miss what was about to happen as some Overseers ran into the room.

"What's going on in here?!" The first one demanded upon reaching the restraints. "Martin's branding isn't supposed to happen until… High Overseer, what…

"Get me out of this thing, you moron!" Campbell ordered, again pulling at the restraints. "It's Corvo Attano, he's here! Call the City Watch! Alert everyone in the building! I want that man beaten and broken by first light… what are you all just standing there for?!"

"He's been marked." The second Overseer commented quietly to the others. "You know the rules; no matter what, the mark is the mark."

"By the Strictures, we obey." The third one added. "I'm sorry, Campbell… you're a Heretic, and by the ancient laws, you defile this place with your presence… you'll have to be punished before we cast you out."

Corvo couldn't help smiling as the three Overseers removed the former High Overseer from the restraints, before knocking him to the floor and forcibly ripping the clothes from his body. Like the good little zealots they were, the Overseers kicked and stomped the Heretic, before dragging him, naked and exposed, out of the chamber. Reattaching his mask with a click, Corvo needed to move quickly in order to be outside before they were, and thankfully everyone's attention was now on Campbell, allowing him to move much more freely toward the exit.

This chosen exit was an open window at the end of the hall, and it just so happened to have a good view of the main entrance down below… where the naked and pleading Campbell was currently being dragged out of the building, and down the stairs. The Overseers tossed him down the second half of the way, allowing the naked man to roll to the bottom, where the people on the street were shocked to hear the news about what had happened to him.

"Let it be known that Thaddeus Campbell has been branded a Heretic!" An Overseer announced to the crowd. "It is now forbidden for anyone to give him food, shelter, or any other kind of aid! This judgement is binding from our most ancient laws, and by the Strictures, we obey!"

"Please, you have to listen to me!" The former High Overseer shrieked. "I was set up by Corvo Attano! Corvo Attano is here!"

More and more people gathered at the headquarters of the Abbey of the Everyman, chanting the word _Heretic_ over and over again, while throwing rotten fruit and empty whiskey bottles at Campbell. As a bonus, this little scene provided Corvo with the best distraction to cover his escape that he could have ever wished for. With all of the attention focused on abusing Campbell, the former Lord Protector wasn't noticed as he climbed down the side of the building, hopped the iron fence, and started back down the street toward where Samuel would be waiting.

The wall of light had been shut down on the Overseer's orders so that all within the zone could come and see the fate of those who mocked the Strictures, allowing Corvo to walk right past a guard who was guiding people through. Yes, he was glad that he hadn't killed the former High Overseer, and was starting to consider if it would be possible to punish _all_ of the conspirators in such a way. Thaddeus Campbell, once the proud High Overseer of the Abby, was going to spend the rest of his life in poverty and isolation… so why shouldn't the Lord Regent and the others do something similar?

At the moment Corvo didn't know how such a thing would be managed, since it was pure luck that Martin had mentioned the Heretic's Mark in the first place, or else Campbell would have simply been killed. It would have been so easy to simply snuff the life out of him, but if he had, then Campbell would have been remembered as a martyr and a good man, instead of the naked and forsaken Heretic that he was seen as now.

"And the man returns." Samuel announced quietly as Corvo came walking back down to the docks. "I probably shouldn't tell you this, but some of them over at the Hound Pitts, well… they didn't think you would make it back. Biggest wagers were that you'd kill the High Overseer, but get killed yourself on the way out."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence, Samuel." The former Lord Protector replied, walking up and getting into the small boat. "Looks like _everyone_ lost this bet, because I'm still alive, _and_ I found a more fitting way to deal with Campbell. Let's go."

With a simple nod of the head, the old boatman started up the boat's motor, slowly backing them away from the docks, before turning around. Then as they headed back for the quarantine zone, the chants of _Heretic-Heretic-Heretic_ could still be heard along with cheering and glass breaking, and as Corvo removed his mask once again, it was music to his ears.


	10. Chapter 10 Secrets of the Book

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Ten: Secrets of the Book**

The sun had already started to rise by the time that Samuel's boat returned to the Hound Pitts Pub, leaving Corvo with just enough strength left to give the coded book to a genuinely surprised Admiral Havelock, before stumbling up the stairs toward his room. Some of the servants greeted him, to which the former Lord Protector managed to grunt a reply while not being deviated from his course. The celebration of recovering both Martin and the book was great and all, but right now all Corvo wanted to do was rest.

Unfortunately for him, it only felt like he had blinked after falling onto his bed, when the sun started beaming in through a window on the west side of the building, and there was a servant there to summon him. It was Calista… if he remembered properly… yes, the pretty one who had shown him to his room the other day… the one who smelled nice. If the former Lord Protector had not been feeling so groggy, he might have flirted with her… but it took almost until they were on the ground floor for his eyes to come into focus, so now was not really the best time.

"Ah, good morning, er… afternoon." That Pendleton fellow said when Corvo walked into the tavern. "Sorry to interrupt your rest, but there's been a development, and it can't wait… please, join us."

Sitting at the table with Pendleton were Havelock, and a much more refreshed looking Overseer Martin, who was sitting with the former High Overseer's book opened in front of him. Once the former Lord Protector was seated with them, the group began to speak in hushed voices as if suspecting that they couldn't even trust those around them, but this odd behavior was forgotten once Martin began to explain what he had discovered while decoding the book.

"I believe that I have discovered Emily Kaldwin's location." He whispered, pointing to an unreadable section of the open page. "High Overseer Campbell wrote about needing a place where all involved could come and go without being noticed or disrupting their daily routine. Apparently their plan was to hide Emily for a couple years, and then making themselves heroes after finally _finding_ her."

The plan made sense, Corvo thought… assume power after the untimely assassination of the Empress, then make the people love them for managing to rescue and return the heir to the throne… while having several years to manipulate her before she would be old enough to take control on her own. Too bad for Hirram that he and everyone else involved in this little conspiracy were going to meet a fate that was hopefully just as creative as the one that had been given to Campbell.

"According to this passage." Martin continued, moving his finger to another unreadable part of the book. "Emily is being hidden inside the _Golden Cat_ , a…

"I _know_ what the Golden Cat is." Corvo found himself snapping. "It's a brothel near the Distillery District, pretty close to the Abbey's headquarters."

The brothel had been purposely built almost right across the street from the Abbey's headquarters, mostly to spite the Overseers, and with as popular as the place was with those of the city's _social elite_ , there was no way that the place would ever have been shut down. For a moment the former Lord Protector started to relax, remembering a time when he and Jessamine had gone there; him posing as a customer, and her bribing the Madam so that she could pose as one of the scantily clad working girls so that they could…

"It's also the favored haunt of my brothers; the twins, Curtis and Morgan." Pendleton said, interrupting this rather pleasant memory. "I've tried to put this off, but… my brothers knew what the former Spymaster had done, and still backed him, so… Corvo, you know what I'm trying to say."

With that, the group's nobleman got up from the table, gruffly excusing himself before walking off toward the door, and the former Lord Protector couldn't blame him. After all, Pendleton had more or less just asked Corvo to kill his brothers, and since they _were_ part of this conspiracy… there wasn't much choice. Just as the now exonerated Martin was in the running to become the new High Overseer now that Campbell was gone, the Pendleton family's majority votes in Parliament would pass to when his brothers were gone, since he was the youngest.

"Pendleton knew what this would mean from day one." Havelock explained. "But his feelings aside, this gives us a _perfect_ opportunity to accomplish two objectives at once. We now know that Emily is being held somewhere inside the Golden Cat, but today is Tuesday… the day when Curtis and Morgan visit the Cat for their weekly entertainment."

"The only problem is that the Golden Cat is _huge_ … as big as a mansion." Martin added, bringing up a valid point. "Even if you got inside undetected, you've got no way of knowing where Emily _or_ the Pendleton brothers are going to be."

Corvo would never have admitted this to Jessamine, but back when they did their elaborate rendezvous at the Cat years ago, he had gotten lost in the building and nearly ended up with a different woman who was in a mask at the time. There were so many floors and rooms, not to mention the _private_ ones… Martin was right; sneaking in was hard enough on its own, but he was going to need something more to go on if there was to be a chance of success.

"As awkward as this is going to be, Corvo." Havelock said after a long silence at the table. "You might have to ask our Pendleton for advice… you know, his brothers' favorite girls, what rooms they like to use… surely they brag to him about _something_."

This was not a conversation that the former Lord Protector wanted to have with Trevor Pendleton, but he was the only one who might be able to help, and once the new Lord Regent discovered that Campbell's book was missing, it was only a matter of time before he moved Emily somewhere else. So with a deep breath, Corvo got up from the table, and tried to think of how he was going to ask Pendleton about how to more easily kill his brothers.

Pendleton was standing near the dock, where Samuel had left his boat until the next time it was needed, and the noblemen was just kind of staring out over the water. Obviously the burden of signing his brothers' death warrants was weighing heavily on him, as it would on _anyone_ in his situation, but it was still something that had to be done… and Emily's safety was at stake.

"I had hoped that you would just be off, and that would be the end of it." Pendleton said without looking back, before Corvo had a chance to speak. "But it's hard to sneak into a crowded place when you don't know where to look, isn't it, Corvo? Morgan never talks about his interests there, but Curtis has… _unique tastes_ , let's call it. He has a room permanently reserved in his name, and _only_ goes there… now just go before I change my mind."

And that was that, Pendleton walked away again, probably needing to be by himself for a while, which was completely understandable, especially in this situation, and the former Lord Protector decided that it was best for him to simply stay silent. The information that he had gotten from this brief conversation wasn't much, but it was more than he had to go on before, so after a quick stop with Pierro to make sure that his mask and weapons were still functioning properly, it was once again time for Corvo to head out.

"A terrible thing, knowing your own family is going to die." Samuel said once the boat was ready. "But I suppose this is a war, Corvo, and it's not really my place to say this, but… in a war, choosing the wrong side can be just as deadly as any sword."

"It's the truth, though, Samuel." The former Lord Protector replied while the engine started. "And whether or not you hold your tongue, the truth is still there."

Sort of like the truth about Corvo being Emily's father, a fact that Jessamine insisted that be kept hidden from the people, regardless of how suspicious Emily's birth had been, being that the Empress hadn't married. Emily knew, although Jessamine had instructed her to always refer to him by his name in order to keep the secret. Still, he was all that little girl had now, and if she had been hurt in any way… honestly the former Lord Protector wasn't even sure _what_ he was going to do to the traitors that had killed Jessamine right in front of Emily and then kidnapped her.

Part of him felt that Campbell had gotten off easy, branded and sentenced to a life of exile and poverty, with actually only a small amount of pain suffered. Of course, without the opportunity arising for such a poetic and ironic fate, he would have just killed the man and tossed his body in the fire… and unless something as good as the heretic's mark popped up at the Golden Cat, a circumstance that he doubted would happen… the Pendleton brothers were simply going to die.

"Well, at least you get to go into familiar territory." The boatman said, watching Corvo lock the mask into place as they pulled away from the dock. "The Golden Cat's pretty close to where you went last night, of course you might need to be a little more careful walking around with that mask on in the daytime."

Yes, that was true. The mask given to him by Pierro was great for concealing his identity and scaring the daylights out of people, but in the daytime where were far less shadows around for sneaking, and the grinning skull design of the mask wasn't exactly something that people wouldn't notice. To tell the truth, the success of last night's mission had boosted the former Lord Protector's confidence, but now that all of these factors were crossing his mind… well, it was probably best to just handle one thing at a time, as they made their way back to the Distillery District.


	11. Chapter 11 The Golden Cat

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Eleven: The Golden Cat**

Although Corvo had been nervous about trying to sneak his way around Dunwall during the daylight hours, since the City Watch guards would surely be more awake and alert, there was a factor that he hadn't thought of. Daylight also meant that curfew was not in effect, allowing the citizens of the Distillery District to conduct their daily business, and the former Lord Protector was more than happy to use this crowd for cover.

Fear of the Rat Plague was high, meaning that even if someone thought that his hood was suspicious, no one would want to risk pulling it down to see his face, for fear of getting infected if the _suspicious person_ was a carrier. So instead of climbing walls and scaling rooftops like he had done the previous night, Corvo simply walked down the street, past the view of several guards, right up to the gates of The Golden Cat.

There was a slight chance that one of the City Watch would get suspicious of him and try to grab his hood, but on the other hand this brothel was frequented by some of the most powerful men in Dunwall, and if that guard happened to expose someone important who was trying to keep their identity anonymous to avoid a scandal… it was a pretty safe bet that the former Lord Protector would not have to worry about being exposed as he stepped through the open gate.

" _Pleasure for some, pain for others_." The disembodied voice said as he felt the heart moving in his chest. " _For many, this place is their dream, the highlight of their week… but for many at the same time, a nightmare that never ends_."

Corvo wasn't there to be a hero or save a bunch of women who were basically prisoners to debt, or whatever else had landed them in this place… he was there to find Emily, if she was still there… and to give the Pendleton twins what was coming to them. However, now that the former Lord Protector was standing in the beautifully maintained courtyard of the brothel, he wasn't sure exactly how he was going to do that.

There were bars on most of the windows, probably to keep the girls from escaping, and guards of the City Watch were positioned at every door. _These_ guards were different, and didn't care about exposing someone trying to sneak in, since troublemakers would be on the hit-list of every _client_ already inside, and the guards were surely rewarded for their diligence with discounts. That being said, Corvo needed to find another way to get into the brothel, and it was absolutely essential that he go undiscovered.

Using the carefully sculpted hedges and statues of the courtyard as cover, he surveyed all of the entrances and windows, discovering what he already suspected: That every single point of entry was locked down or guarded. Of course, not all of them were as well guarded as others, leaving a possible point of entry where deliveries came in for the kitchen… where only a single guard was posted… and a delivery was about to be made.

A lot of food and drink was required to keep the place's clients happy, and a wagon was just pulling up to bring in today's supplies, making entry now seem even easier. After all, the hard working men who had to unload the wagon looked tired, and since Corvo was a generous person at heart, there was no reason why he shouldn't give them a hand. So creeping his way up to the far side of the wagon, the former Lord Protector simply picked up a wooden crate, lined up with the others, and walked right past the guard into the building.

"Wish we could go into the front entrance sometime, huh?" The man in front of him asked as they moved down the hallway. "Oughta give us a discount here… or at least let us in."

Grunting agreement, the former Lord Protector quietly slipped out of line the first chance he got, ducking into the nearest doorway, which happened to be a stairwell that went both up and down. The Golden Cat had four floors, and apparently at least one basement as well… so which floor should he use to begin his search for Emily? There would be both advantages and disadvantages to putting her all the way up and all the way down, and Corvo was turning to make sure no one had spotted him, when he gasped, nearly falling down the stairs after seeing that he was not alone.

" _Hello again, Corvo_." The Outsider said, closing the stairwell door and walking closer. " _My, you do find yourself in the most interesting of places, don't you? Is it nostalgia that brought you here? Reminiscing of your adventurous little roleplay with Jessamine… the one that resulted with Emily, if I remember?_ "

"Actually, I'm trying to _find_ Emily." Corvo replied quietly. "But I'm going to have to search this whole place one floor at a time, it seems."

The figure of the Outsider chuckled at this, before offering the suggestion that if accomplishing all of his goals at once was desired, the former Lord Protector should start at the bottom. With that, his otherworldly companion faded away, leaving Corvo alone to start down the stairs. After all, the Outsider hadn't steered him wrong so far, so there was no reason to doubt him now, and the former Lord Protector moved quietly down to the basement… where a light was coming from a slightly opened door marked: _PRIVATE_.

Peeking in through the crack, a small empty room could be seen, empty except for a large metal chair of some kind. The chair was hooked up to some electrical equipment that Corvo didn't immediately understand the use for, but that wasn't what caught his attention. There was a shirtless man sitting in the chair, his wrists and ankles shackled to the frame, and a blindfold around his eyes… it was one of the Pendleton's… and the blindfold meant that there was no reason to worry about being spotted.

"Is that you, my little pet?" The blindfolded man asked in response to the sound of the door opening. " _Naughty_ , _naughty_ , keeping me here waiting like this."

Clearly the Pendleton was expecting a girl, so Corvo moved lightly on his tiptoes after closing the door, not wanting to alert him to what was happening until the right moment. The blindfolded man, however, was _not_ quiet, telling his _girl_ to remember the rules; she was not to speak a single word, the switch was only to be used in five second bursts, and that today's safety word was _shingles_.

Not wanting to disappoint a client, and still not understanding what this whole setup was for, Corvo walked over and threw the switch, gasping when electrical energy began to spark out from the metal chair. Instead of screaming in pain, however, the Pendleton cried out loudly in what sounded like pleasure, and as much as Corvo wanted to simply leave the current on, he still needed to find Emily, so he cut off the switch.

"Oh, that's the good stuff, you little _brat_!" The blindfolded man moaned, relaxing in the chair. "I'm glad to see you're finally learning your place, Emily."

Up until that point, Corvo had been confused, if not moderately amused by this whole display… but upon hearing Emily's name being mentioned… as if she were regularly the one who was supposed to throw the switch for Pendleton's sick desires… the former Lord Protector could feel his face getting red as his blood started to run hot. Meanwhile, the blindfolded man was calling for the switch to be thrown again… so he got what he wanted.

Sparks flew and Pendleton cried out again in pleasure, at least for the five seconds that the switch was supposed to be open, but this time Corvo didn't close it, allowing the pervert's moans to turn into pained outcries for seven seconds… ten seconds… twelve seconds, before closing the switch again. The current stopped, and now Pendleton was shaking, his clothes having begun to smolder, and now pulling against the shackles.

" _Shingles_! _Shingles_!" He yelled, coughing as his body started to relax. "That was more than five seconds, you little _bitch_ , and if you think I won't beat you with my belt just because your mother was the Empress, than you've…

Pendleton's words were stopped, replaced with a startled gasp when Corvo walked over and removed the blindfold, and now the helpless man just sat there staring upward like he couldn't figure out what to do. This paralysis was broken, however, when the former Lord Protector slowly removed his grinning skull mask, causing the color to drain out of the helpless man's face. He tried to call for help, but this was stopped when Corvo slugged him in the mouth with his fist, now grabbing Pendleton by the throat and squeezing.

"Tell me where Emily is, you piece of shit!" He growled angrily as the helpless man gasped for breath. "And maybe, just _maybe_ rescuing her will make me forget all about _you_."

"Top floor!" Pendleton coughed once the grip on his throat was released. "She's kept on the top floor in a locked storeroom! I swear it!"

The helpless man then started to ramble on about never hurting the girl, but that just made Corvo more angry… angry enough to punch him in the mouth again, this time using the collapsed sword as a fist-pack. Again and again he punched the helpless man, not stopping until blood and teeth were coming out, but then shoving the blindfold into Pendleton's mouth, and throwing the electrical switch.

Sparks flow as the electrical energy flowed through the metal chair, but this time Corvo had no intention of closing the circuit, nor was anyone going to be able to hear his muffled screams. His whole body was smoldering now, with Pendleton starting to convulse as his skin started to bubble up. Causing this kind of pain to someone was not how Corvo liked to do things, and he would've ended it quickly with his sword, if not for the fact that Emily had been made to use the switch for him before.

So he left it on, leaving the slowly boiling and frying Pendleton to his fate, and making sure to close and lock the door on his way out so that no one would disturb his _private time_. Well, now he had a possible location for Emily, so the former Lord Protector started back up the stairs, moving out of the basement, passing the first floor where he had come in, and heading up toward the top of The Golden Cat.


	12. Chapter 12 Emily Kaldwin

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Twelve: Emily Kaldwin**

No longer nearly as concerned about his own safety as he had been before, Corvo left Pendleton's private room, and headed back toward the staircase. It had been a stroke of luck for him to enter The Golden Cat where he had, since the stairs gave him a direct route to the top of the building, where Emily was supposedly being held… but even if the route hadn't been this easy, the former Lord Protector felt more than ready to take on the whole city by himself.

Making his way up the stairs, passing floor after floor, he couldn't believe that even as bad as Hirram was, that he would allow the heir to the throne to be treated in such a way. True, if all she had done for… whichever of the Pendleton twins he had just cooked, was flip a switch, it was a lot better than it could have been… but still, the fact that a child… _his_ child was made to give pleasure to that… _scum_ … it made his blood boil.

Reaching the fourth floor was easy enough, since no one had ventured onto the stairway, but once at the top, his direct avenue from place to place would no longer be available, as he peered through the cracked door. Part of him knew that the anger he was feeling could cost him dearly, so Corvo did his best to keep calm, when what he really wanted to do was go from room to room, killing every client in the building until he found Emily.

" _She was a streetwalker, herself… wishing for a better life in her youth_." The heart said, moving within his chest. " _The passage of time dimmed this hope, making her cruel, and dooming another generation of girls to her same torment_."

For a moment Corvo didn't understand what the heart was trying to tell him, but then he saw her… Madam Prudence, the aging and perpetually scowling proprietor of The Golden Cat. Honestly, the woman was a bitch, and it was difficult to imagine her ever being young and pretty enough to work the streets… however, if there was _anyone_ who would know where Emily was being kept, it was her. So he followed, sticking to what little shadows were available, and trying to keep a low profile.

"Ah, Prudence, my dear." A voice said, forcing Corvo to back off as someone met her at the hallway junction. "You're just in time; care to join me for some tea in the lounge? It gets so tiresome waiting for my brother to finish."

"Oh, why not?" Prudence replied with a tone that suggested she was annoyed.

The former Lord Protector couldn't believe his luck as he watched the two of them walk through a door a short distance away… the man who had joined Prudence… it was _Pendleton_ … the _other_ Pendleton. It really was uncanny how much the twins looked alike, but this also made him easy to spot, and now creeping up to the closed door to the private lounge, Corvo put his ear up to it, straining to listen. For a bit the two of them chatted idly, but then the moment came that he was waiting for.

"Don't mention that annoying little brat to me." Prudence's voice said sternly. "Worthless thing doesn't bring in _any_ money, and the only client she sees is that brother of yours… how long does the new Lord Regent plan on keeping her here anyway?"

"Oh, maybe a few more months." Pendleton replied casually. "Hirram has this big plan about us _finding her_ after all this time, with the peons of this city calling us heroes, or some nonsense. She'll still be locked away no matter where she is, but it'll give me plenty of time to teach her how to behave, and if necessary _beat the spirit_ right out of her. Trust me, she'll be _very_ obedient by the time she comes of age, and then…

Pendleton never got to finish that sentence, whatever it might have been that he was trying to say, because at that moment Corvo decided that he had enough. Standing up and kicking the door open, the traitorous nobleman barely had a chance to react before the former Lord Protector took the miniature crossbow out of his leg holster, and fired the metal bolt right between his eyes.

Pendleton's eyes crossed and he made a kind of clucking sound before collapsing onto the couch he was sitting on, and Madam Prudence might have sounded the alarm, if Corvo hadn't extended his sword and held the tip of the blade at her throat. Normally he wouldn't have considered hurting a woman, but after everything that he had seen in this place, the former Lord Protector decided to make an exception.

In a quick movement, he pulled the blade back, and then swung the sword with all his might, bringing it right across Prudence's mouth, causing a spray of blood, teeth, and tongue pieces to splatter across the nearby wall. The Madam stumbled sideways before falling onto her hands and knees, coughing and groaning in pain, but this was only to get worse as the former Lord Protector kicked her in the face, making the aging woman flip over onto her back, where he once again put the sword to her throat.

"I imagine that talking is a bit difficult for you right now." Corvo said pressing the tip into her neck a little harder. "But you're going to show me where Emily is, and you're going to give me the keys… _now_."

Holding up her hands in a gesture that begged him not to kill her, Prudence pointed down the hallway junction where Pendleton had appeared from for their meeting. She tried to say something while getting a key out of her pocket, but all that came out was a gurgle of bubbling blood… not that he really cared what she had to say anyway. Once he understood that she was being kept down the hall, Corvo pressed down on the blade, sinking the tip along with several inches into Prudence's throat, and then leaving her there to die as he walked out of the lounge… remembering to shut the door, of course.

Well, his initial mission of killing the Pendleton twins was completed, even though he had been unable to find a way to punish them for years to come as he had done with the former High Overseer, but at least they couldn't hurt Emily ever again. And speaking of which, there was only a single door down this part of the hallway… a door which Prudence's key fit neatly into. This was it… with a turn of the key, the lock clicked open… and then the door swung open to reveal a single figure standing toward the back of the room.

"What?" The little girl asked in a frightened tone. "Who… who are you? Why… why are you wearing that mask?"

She had grown a little over the past six months, but it was her… Emily Kaldwin, heir to the throne, and Corvo's daughter… who was looking more like her mother every day. Of course the happiness of seeing her again had nearly made him miss what she was saying, and it took a minute for the former Lord Protector to remember that no one could recognize him while wearing Pierro's mask… so he reached up and took it off.

"Daddy!" Emily yelled, a smile forming on her face as she ran to him.

He had never minded her calling him that, even though Jessamine had insisted that she not in order to avoid a scandal, and now that he was there, hugging her, for a moment he was able to forget all of the bad things that were happening in Dunwall. The assassination of the Empress, the Rat Plague, his imprisonment… all of it was simply forgotten during the hug that had been a long time coming, and lasted even longer.

"I'm here to take you home, Emily." Corvo explained once they separated. "Well, not _home_ … not yet… there's a safe place I know where no one will hurt you anymore."

The little girl didn't argue, simply taking his hand and the two of them walking back toward the door together… of course, if they were to sneak out of this place, she would have to stay out of sight as much as possible. So he went first, peeking out the door to make sure no one was around, and then motioning for her to follow… remembering to put on his mask only after making it about halfway down the hall.

No one was around, so they moved back toward the hallway junction, and allowing the former Lord Protector to sigh with relief upon reaching the stairwell. Now all they had to do was reach the ground floor, take out the single guard at the entrance without him raising the alarm, and then remain undetected while making their way back to Samuel's boat. Of course, this was not going to be easy, and Corvo was so busy planning their escape that he nearly ran into the man who was entering the stairwell on the second floor.

"Good day, ladies." He said, his words slurring a little. "I will see you again next week."

The heavily bearded man chuckled to himself, blowing a kiss to the unseen women even after the door had closed in front of him, but then his eyes widened when he turned around to see the masked man standing on the stairs behind him. For a moment the stocky man appeared confused, first looking intently at Corvo, and then at Emily… with a few seconds passing by before he seemed to realize what was going on.

Naturally, the bearded man's first instinct was to call for help, but the former Lord Protector couldn't allow that, so he grabbed the man from behind. Quickly slipping into a sleeper hold by looping his arm around the man's neck, his victim kicked and struggled as they fell to the floor, but soon he was still. Without knowing if he had anything to do with the plot against the Empress, Corvo was content to simply let him sleep there, but Emily stopped him as he was starting to walk away.

"Is that?" The little girl asked, getting a better look at the sleeping man. "It is! Look, its Sokolov! It's Anton Sokolov!"

Corvo knew the name, hell, everyone in Dunwall knew it, since he was the man who had not only created such marvels as the wall of light, but he was also the one working to find a cure for the Rat Plague. Still, he hadn't exactly been known to denounce the new Lord Regent for what he had done, so… what was to be done with him? On one hand, killing him would stop him from making anything else to get in his way, but then again he was the _only one_ working on a cure for the plague.

"Are you taking him with us?" Emily asked as he picked up Sokolov.

"Looks like I have to." Corvo replied, trying to shift Sokolov for more comfort, but underestimating the bearded man's weight. "Come on, let's go before somebody notices."


	13. Chapter 13 Hirram's Mistress

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Thirteen: Hirram's Mistress**

Today, it seemed, was Corvo's lucky day, since the delivery people were gone by the time he and Emily reached the service door of The Golden Cat, and the guard was taking an impromptu break… judging by the drool coming out of his mouth while leaning against the wall. On top of all that, there was a small wooden hand-cart that had been discarded for who even knew how long, giving the former Lord Protector exactly what he needed in order to get them _and_ Sokolov back to Samuel's boat.

With Emily's help, they put the unconscious bearded man into the cart, intentionally leaving one of his arms sticking out while covering him with a large piece of cloth. Using part of the cloth to make a kind of shroud for the little girl, and covering his own face with his hood, they set out from the brothel, while making no move to stay hidden. Instead, they went right down the middle of the street, passing several people and City Watch members, all of whom tried their best to avoid the cart.

"Bring out your dead!" Corvo called out loudly. "Plague victims! Bring out your victims of the Rat Plague!"

Not a single passerby, nor anyone from the City Watch bothered to even speak with them, allowing direct access to the harbor where Samuel was waiting. Needless to say, he was surprised to see that the former Lord Protector had not only survived his second mission, but had _also_ managed to capture an important man like Sokolov… well, as far as the old boatman was concerned, the matter was for Havelock and the others to see to.

Lord Pendleton was understandably absent upon their return, but Havelock and Martin were so dumbstruck that the mission was a success, that the two of them could scarcely believe their eyes. So far the loyalist's conspiracy was going even better than anyone could have planned; the High Overseer was branded, the Pendleton brothers were dead, Emily was safe, and now Sokolov was in their custody.

Of course, at the moment the only thing that Corvo was concerned about was that Emily was going to be well taken care of, and to that end Havelock had chosen Calista, the cute servant, to act as the little girl's Governess, along with a private room for them both in the tower that made up the upper half of the building Pierro was using for a workshop. As for Sokolov, he too was placed into a detached building from the Hound Pits Pub… where he was to wake up inside of a locked cage.

Leaving the details of getting information out of the bearded man to Martin and Havelock, the former Lord Protector made sure that Emily was settling in all right, and stayed by her side until she fell asleep, before heading up to his own room in order to rest. All of this _cloak & dagger_, adventurous conspiracy stuff was a lot more difficult than it looked, especially since Corvo wasn't exactly a young man anymore.

The day was still young, so a short nap wouldn't hurt, he thought as he laid down on the bed, only to be woken up what felt like a short time later by one of the servants. In what only felt like enough time to blink, the sun had moved over to the west-facing window, meaning that several hours had passed. So he got up, stretching a bit before heading back downstairs where Lord Pendleton had apparently decided to rejoin the group.

"Corvo… I understand that my brothers deserved what happened." The nobleman said, walking up to him before anything else could begin. "I am… saddened by their fate, but I want you to know that I don't harbor any ill feelings toward you."

Offering a shaky hand as if forcing himself, the nobleman and Corvo shook hands, with the former Lord Protector considering them to be even, given what the twins had been using Emily for. Trying to push those thoughts out of his head, Corvo joined the others at the table, where Admiral Havelock was excited to share what had been gained from speaking to Sokolov. Apparently the bearded man had laughed at being in captivity, and even managed to stomp most of the rats to death that were released into his cage as a scare tactic… leaving only one way to get information out of such a stubborn subject.

"It cost me a bottle of brandy… expensive vintage, but he finally talked." Havelock explained. "He didn't give up anything tactical, but he told me that our illustrious new Lord Regent had taken a mistress as of late. Now, ignoring my suspicions that Hirram liked boys, Sokolov told me that the Lord Regent had commissioned a painting from him, with _Lady Boyle_ as a subject."

Apparently Lady Boyle had been the principle financial backer to Hirram's coup against the Empress, providing the funds that allowed him to bribe guards and hire assassins, meaning that regardless of being a woman, she was a filthy traitor like the others, and since they already knew where the Boyle estate was, this next mission seemed easy to the former Lord Protector… but as always, there was a small problem.

"The problem is that there are three Lady Boyles." Pendleton explained. "Waverly, Esma, and Lydia; identical triplets that look even more similar than Curtis and Morgan did."

Apparently a favorite theme of the Boyle sisters was to purposely make themselves look, sound, and act the same so that no one could tell them apart, sort of like a game to them. Martin suggested that Corvo simply hunt down and kill all three of them, but the fact was that there was no evidence at all linking the other two to the conspiracy, and the former Lord Protector was not about to start killing innocent people, unless he literally had no other choice.

"Looks like getting in and out will be the easy part for once, Corvo." Havelock continued. "The Boyles are hosting their annual party tonight, and it's a masque, so that costume of yours will get you in the door no problem. But, since you insist on discrimination, you're going to have to not only figure out which Boyle is Hirram's mistress… but then figure out which Boyle is which."

Well, that was a depressing topic… how in the world was he supposed to figure out who was who without raising suspicion? _Especially_ at a party where the three sisters were most likely going to be wearing the same costumes. Lord Pendleton had been invited, and with Pierro's mask on, no one had any reason to believe that Corvo was not Pendleton. But how was he going to accomplish his objectives, all while at a crowded party?

Like Havelock had mentioned, for once it was going to be fairly easy to enter and leave the estate, so long as no one discovered who he really was or what he was doing there. But no matter how much thought he gave the task, the solution was just not presenting itself, and would probably not do so until the last possible minute. What Corvo needed was more information… any that he could get.

"Tell me what you know about the Boyle sisters." The former Lord Protector said, looking at Pendleton. "Anything that I can use to tell them apart."

"Well, like I said, they're gorgeous, and completely identical." The nobleman replied. "Waverly holds herself above the common man, and has what you could call bouts of reckless frivolity, followed by depression… girl's also a bit paranoid if you ask me, and you did. Lydia is a bit more sensible, aside from insisting that only a _true musician_ will ever be able to win her heart… turned me down three times just because I don't play an instrument. And then there's Esma… she is a bit more, uh… _social_ than the others… and she likes to drink… that's really about it."

Well, it wasn't much, but it was something… and although it might help the former Lord Protector identify which Boyle was which, it still left him unable to figure out which of them was Hirram's mistress, aside from bluntly asking them… or maybe going through their private things… perhaps sneaking upstairs while everyone was in the ballroom or something. Yes... it was a plan… a shell of a plan, but still better than he had before.

The meeting was over, and before he knew it, the sun was setting, meaning that it was time for Corvo to once again head out on a mission to save Dunwall. It was ridiculous to think that killing these people was actually going to restore Emily to the throne while avenging her mother, but so far it seemed to be working. According to Havelock, Trevor Pendleton now held majority votes in Parliament, and since Martin's own name was cleared with the Abbey, there was talk of him assuming the role of High Overseer.

Still, all Corvo wanted was for what was stolen from his daughter to be returned, so he put on the grinning skull mask, and stepped onto the boat with Samuel. This time he was taken to a different part of the city, one where there were no quarantine walls, and the architecture was grander, suggesting a higher class of people residing within the lavish homes and mansions that lined both sides of the large street near the canal.

With the boat stopping near a storm drain far below the street, Corvo was just about to step off, when something caught his eye. There was movement up on the street above… movement, and light… and what the hell was he looking at. The center of the… thing appeared to be a man, but he was walking on some kind of stilts that had to be four times as tall as a man, with what looked like cannons at his arms, and a powerful searchlight mounted next to his shoulder that perfectly illuminated the ground below.

"Oh yeah… that there's a _Tallboy_ , Corvo." The old boatman explained, pointing up at it. "Some kind of mechanical armor for the City Watch, made by Sokolov of course, and all powered by whale oil… like everything else in Dunwall."

Using the optics on the mask, the former Lord Protector was able to see that there was indeed a glowing tank of oil on the back of the man inside the mechanical armor, and after getting a good look at the cannons as well… he was glad that everyone else on the street tonight was going to be wearing masks. Still, just to be safe, he waited until the Tallboy moved on, before stepping off the boat, and starting to make his way to the Boyle Estate.


	14. Chapter 14 I am Lady Boyle

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Fourteen: I am Lady Boyle**

As expected, there was a series of costumed people wearing all kinds of elaborate masks making their way down the street toward the Boyle Estate, and the mechanical abominations that Samuel called Tallboys were paying them no mind, making it easy for Corvo to slip into the crowd. There was idle chatter amongst small groups who apparently knew who each other were, as to the identity of the other patrons, but the only time that anyone's identity was questioned was at the front door, where all had to give their invitation.

"Welcome, my Lord." The doorman said with a slight bow upon being passed Pendleton's invitation. "Have a pleasant evening."

The former Lord Protector nodded slightly, and since all of the invitations were quickly stuffed into a sealed box, his identity remained secret… although the design of his mask seemed to catch some attention. Some of the nobles, mostly women, gasped and openly gossiped about who was underneath that grinning skull, but once everyone was gathered in the main hall, the attention of the guests was called elsewhere.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention please." One of the servants called as the lights dimmed slightly. "Presenting your hostess of the evening, I give you the lovely and elegant… Lady Boyle."

"Good evening, friends and foes." A woman in black said happily as she walked onto the balcony into a spotlight. "I am Lady Boyle, and I want to welcome you to my home."

"No, _I_ am Lady Boyle, and we're here to have a party." An identical woman in red continued as she entered the spotlight. "So have a drink, enjoy a dance, and be a little naughty."

"Clearly _I_ am Lady Boyle, so ignore the impostors, there." A third identical woman in white said, coming into view. "Now stop the chatter, and start the music, for tonight we do not care."

The lights came back on as the three masked women walked down the stairs, and as much as Corvo searched for a way to tell them apart, there was none. They were the same height, same weight, and their hips even moved exactly the same while walking, leaving the color of their costumes as the only distinction. Their voices were like the same person speaking for three, and when they stopped together halfway down, folding their arms and rocking their hips to the side in _exactly_ the same way in order to look at each other with what looked like disgust… they were _still_ identical.

"This has gone on long enough; someone has to set the record straight." All three said in unison. "So we'll give a priceless family heirloom to whomever can tell us apart without taking off our masks… as if that would help."

So the Loyalists were right, Corvo thought as the Boyle sisters finished their entrance, they really _did_ try to appear as similar as possible, and now their identities were being used as a kind of party game. All right, so everyone was going to be trying to guess who each one was, so investigating wasn't going to arouse any suspicions, but… how was he going to eliminate the right one in the middle of a crowded party?

One thing at a time, he reminded himself as everyone started spreading out to enjoy the party, including the three Boyles… what was it Pendleton said distinguished them? Drinking, music, and being antisocial? Well, it was a start… however, as if purposely trying to infuriate him, each of the Boyles drank, each one fiddled with the harp that was on display in one of the side rooms, and each one kept the talking with other guests to a minimum.

"I _love_ your mask." The three of them said in unison after passing him at the same time.

All right, there had to be an easier, less maddening way to tell these identical triplets apart, meaning that Corvo needed to start thinking outside the box. Now, his objectives were to figure out which Boyle was which, then figure out which of them was the Lord Regent's mistress, and then eliminate her, preferably in a way that didn't disturb the party. That being said, the former Lord Protector needed to draw on what he knew about female behavior in general.

Unfortunately, the only woman he had ever been with was Jessamine, and her behavior, especially in her younger years, was erratic as hell. One day she would be outgoing and flirtatious, then the next she would be cold and prudish, which confused Corvo greatly, and he could always hear the Empress giggling about this as she wrote down the events of each day in that ridiculous diary of…

That was it… every woman in the world had a diary where they wrote down their daily activities, their secrets… and most importantly their _love_ interests. All right, he just needed to read the diary of each Boyle, and if they were anything like Jessamine, they each kept it in their bedchambers. The party had mostly moved into the side sitting rooms, as well as the dining hall where a lavish spread of food and drink had been prepared, leaving the main hall essentially abandoned.

Moving quietly as he raced up the stairs, Corvo stayed low as he moved across the balcony where the Boyles had made their entrance, and then let out a sigh of relief after passing through the door. It was unlikely that any of the guests would wander up to the second floor, so the former Lord Protector took a moment to get his bearings. This corridor was a narrow one, decorated on each side by display cases filled with expensive looking heirlooms, but since he was not a thief, he paid more attention to the three doors along the wall.

Each most likely led into one of the Boyles' bedchambers, and since there was no reference as to which one belonged to who, he decided to try the middle one. Opening with a soft _click_ , Corvo walked in, shutting the door behind him, and just as he thought, found himself in a woman's bedchamber. A small chandelier illuminated the room with dim light, allowing him to see that, like any such room, it consisted of a large bed, vanity, dressers, and a nightstand on which a half bottle of alcohol was placed like a centerpiece.

Now, Jessamine used to hide hers inside a dresser, so the former Lord Protector was just stepping away from the door… when the knob turned. Turning heel and getting behind it so as to not be seen when it opened, he waited in the shadows as one of the Boyle sisters, the one in red, walked into the room. She seemed to be totally unaware of him as she moved toward the bed, and once the door closed, he went for her.

Gasping when he grabbed her arm from behind, the Boyle sister was too startled to do anything while he pulled her close, swung her around, and shoved her into the corner of the walls, taking out the collapsed sword and putting it to her throat so that she wouldn't scream. Her body was shaking a little bit, but she didn't move or say anything, instead just looking up at him from behind her mask, which Corvo removed with his other hand, tossing it across the room and revealing the gorgeous woman's face.

"Are you here to rob me?" She whispered, keeping her slightly less trembling hands on his arms. "My, you've got nice arms… take what you want… I won't stop you."

"There's no reason for me to hurt you." He replied, staring at her for longer than he should have. "Now… which one are you… and which of your sisters is wearing what color?"

Now that the questions had been asked, the former Lord Protector realized that it sounded like a silly request, being that everyone downstairs had probably been asking them the same questions all night. Of course, Corvo wasn't there to enjoy the party _or_ play some ridiculous game… there was very serious business to attend to tonight, and someone was going to end up… and why were this girl's hands moving onto his torso?

"Is that what this is about? The Heirloom?" She asked, now moving one leg so that it was slightly against the outside of his. "Seems like a _small_ prize, when you could just force yourself on me right here, and there would be _nothing_ I could do about it… I'm Esma Boyle, by the way… and I know your voice from somewhere."

There didn't seem to be any harm in showing her who he was, since he could simply kill her if she tried to sound the alarm, regardless of seeing his face, so the former Lord Protector used his free hand to remove his own mask, causing Esma to gasp almost… happily? Expecting fear upon being confronted by the man who supposedly killed the Empress, instead the Boyle woman looked like she was getting excited, something that at first confused him… but she was so beautiful… and she smelled really nice.

"Waverly is in black, and Lydia is in white." Esma continued, slowly putting her arms around his neck. "But you don't need to even _think_ about my sisters, _Corvo Attano_ … I'll give you _any_ of _my_ possessions that you want… it must've been lonely… all those months at Coldridge Prison without even _seeing_ a woman."

"You are a very _odd_ girl, Esma." Corvo replied, not trying to get away from her grip. "But since we're on the topic of, uh… men and women… which one of you has been seeing our illustrious new Lord Regent."

From the sudden look of pure disgust on Esma's face, the former Lord Protector guessed that it wasn't her, which was good since killing was the _last_ thing he wanted to do to this girl at the moment, but just as she was in the middle of saying which of her sisters had soiled their family name to gain higher status, Esma seemed to figure out why he was asking all these questions.

"Are you here to kill my sister, Corvo?" She asked, breathing slightly heavier. "I don't think I can tell you, then… you'll have to force me to talk, but I won't… not even if you pin me against the wall, rip my clothes off, and ravage me… as hard… as you can."

Honestly, Corvo didn't know whether to be aroused or genuinely frightened by this girl, since he had never even _heard_ of someone making advances toward somehow who had them at knifepoint… but she was right… Coldridge had been _really_ lonely… and God, Esma was beautiful. Would she really give him the information he wanted? Would she try to kill him the moment that his guard was down? At the moment, he didn't really care… he just hoped that no one could hear them down at the party.


	15. Chapter 15 Jilted Lover

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Fifteen: Jilted Lover**

Esma had already fallen asleep by the time that Corvo had walked back over to where they had left his shirt… as well as the majority of _her_ clothes, so after getting dressed, the former Lord Protector returned to the bed in order to pull the blanket up over her. He had never met a woman who became aroused by the thought of her family being broken apart, but regardless of how odd she was, Esma really _had_ been just what he needed. Corvo was relaxed, more focused… and finding himself stroking her hair for a moment, before giving her a kiss on the cheek and turning to leave.

" _Hello, Corvo_." The hovering Outsider said, startling him to the point of almost falling back onto the bed. " _My, my, aren't you the ladies' man? Is this what you dreamed about during all that time in Coldridge_?"

"You _really_ need to stop sneaking up on me like this." Corvo replied, locking his mask back into place. "What if someone hears us and raises the alarm?"

The Outsider chuckled at this, before saying something about time stopping for those outside his business, which the former Lord Protector didn't really understand, but then the floating figure took on a more serious tone; now wondering as to how he planned on dealing with Waverly Boyle. The easiest option would be to simply kill her, since the eldest Boyle _had_ been involved with the killing of Jessamine… but on the other hand, the Outsider referenced how cleverly the High Overseer had been taken care of… and wondered if another similar solution was in sight.

With that, the floating figure was gone, and now that Corvo had collected himself, he stroked Esma's hair one last time before heading out. Opening the bedroom door as quietly as he could, stepping out into the corridor, and then closing it again just as quickly, the former Lord Protector turned to start back toward the party just in time to see a flash of movement as a blade came swinging down.

Jumping backwards to avoid the attack, which put a good size blemish in the wall, Corvo drew his own sword, extending it to its full length just as his assailant made another move. _Clang!_ Their swords clashed, with him being able to shove his attacker backwards, and allowing Corvo to see that it was one of the guests from the party, with… an unusual mask that he couldn't quite identify what it was supposed to represent.

" _He is smitten… spurned, but unrelenting_." The heart said, moving within his chest. " _This man loves her more than his own life… and he will easily give his own to preserve hers_."

Not wanting this fight to continue, since with every passing second it was more likely to attract the guards, so the next time the masked man attacked, the former Lord Protector simply stepped aside while sticking his foot out. As planned, his attacker went down, hitting the floor with a surprised _'oof'_ as the wind was knocked out of him… and when he tried to get back up, he found Corvo's sword lying on his shoulder against his neck.

"Wait, please, Corvo, don't!" The masked man begged in a hushed voice. "That's right, I know who you are, and I know why you're here, but… I just couldn't let them hurt Waverly."

Making sure to keep this man where he was, in case he decided to attack again, Corvo listened while his assailant explained that he was Lord Brisby, and that he was in love with the eldest Boyle sister. Esma had already revealed that Waverly was the Lord Regent's mistress, and Brisby must've overheard them… so what had the little prevent been doing? Listening through the door while they were making love?

"Corvo, I support your cause completely, and yes, Waverly has to pay." Brisby continued, interrupting his thoughts. "But don't kill her… I'll give you gold, land, whatever you want, just… bring her to me instead."

Well, if the former Lord Protector had thought that the masked man was a pervert before, then these suspicions had upgraded him into a full-blown stalker, as Brisby explained his plan to basically kidnap Waverly, and all but keep her prisoner at his family's old estate. Now, if he had been talking about any _other_ woman, the plan might have angered Corvo, but Waverly had helped to leave Emily without a mother…

"All right, Brisby, you've got a deal." The former Lord Protector replied, smirking at the thought of Lady Boyle being the prisoner of her stalker. "So, I'm assuming you've got a plan for this?"

"I do, actually." The masked man replied happily. "Every time a new bottle needs to be brought up from the cellar, my love personally attends to it so that the servants grab the right vintage. "All you have to do is follow them down there, eliminate the servant, and then… oh, I don't know… knock Waverly out or something."

It was certainly a plan, if a bit vague, but the important part was that Brisby would be waiting at the lowest cellar, at the old waterway, to leave with her. So when the masked man leaved to prepare his side of the plan, Corvo headed back downstairs, where he quickly located the black-costumed Waverly in one of the side rooms. The former Lord Protector's timing must've been perfect, because at that moment, one of the servants came to see her about getting more wine.

Now the anxiety and excitement of stalking a target was surging through Corvo's body as he followed them, feeling his body temperature rise when the door to the cellar came into view. Again, since everyone was in the side rooms or dining hall, no one saw as he crept down the cellar stairs behind them… allowing the door to close naturally, and then following the two of them all the way into the wine cellar.

Making his move before either of them were aware of his presence, Corvo grabbed the servant by the side of the head, bashing his face into the rack hard enough to render him unconscious, before rushing toward Waverly. Wrapping his hands around her neck, and shoving her backwards into the racks hard enough to make the mask fall from her face, the fact that she looked exactly like Esma was not enough to keep him from squeezing.

"You're a traitor, Waverly Boyle!" He said angrily, tightening his grip while she flailed her arms at him. "You helped kill the Empress… you helped kidnap an innocent little girl… and now you're going to spend the rest of your life as a victim, yourself."

Rendering her unconscious did not take long, and since Waverly was just as slender as Esma, he knew that there would be no trouble throwing her around. So far, Brisby's plan was working out easily, and with no one else in the cellars to obstruct him, it was only a matter of minutes before he had reached the old waterway. As planned, Brisby was already there waiting for him, with a small boat like Samuel's, and Corvo was almost at the boat, when something moved behind him.

 _Bang!_ There was a small flash of light just as he turned around to look, as well as the unmistakable sound of a pistol being fired, before something slammed into his mask with enough force to both throw it from his face, while sending both Corvo and Waverly tumbling to the stone floor. His cheek stung from the impact that could have only been him being shot, and then he looked up just in time to see Lydia… the third Boyle sister in white without her mask… taking out a second pistol to aim at both of them.

"Well, well, Timothy Brisby, I might have known." She said with a disappointed scoff. "And hiring… Corvo Attano? Well, you really spared no expense this time, did you? Now, I know you wanted to run off with Waverly, but _no_ … so instead I'm going to just shoot both of you, and then…

Crash! With another flash of movement, this time behind Lydia, a large vase was brought down upon her head, making the youngest Boyle sister drop her pistols as she joined Waverly in unconsciousness. It was now _Esma_ coming out of the shadows, kicking away her sister's pistols while clapping the dust off her hands, and motioning for the two men to get on with it. Not wanting to take any more chances, Corvo got to his feet, picking up Waverly, and putting her in the boat with Brisby… who wasted no time in fleeing once the motor was started.

"So Waverly used _my_ money to kill the Empress, did she?" Esma asked once the boat was gone. "Then I suppose she's getting what she deserved… oh, and don't worry about Lydia; I'll put her to bed, and then tell her she took a tumble at the party. Wow, look at that bruise forming… good thing you were wearing that mask."

Yes, it was true that without Pierro's perfectly crafted mask, the former Lord Protector would have been dead for certain. However, now that Lady Boyle was out of the picture, the last of Hirram's supporters were gone. So was that is? Was it finally time to make the Lord Regent pay for his treason? Corvo might have thought about this a little more, if his mind hadn't been stopped by Esma leaning in to give him a kiss where the bruise was forming.

"I don't think anyone's ever impacted my family quite like you have, Corvo." She continued, stepping closer and putting her arms around his waist. "You kidnapped my _elder_ sister, caused my _younger_ sister to have a head injury, and had your way with _me_ … so was this all just part of your plan, or… did it mean something to you?"

Not exactly sure what to say after everything that happened, the only thing that the former Lord Protector could think to do at that point was to kiss her. So he held Esma Boyle tightly, kissing her for several seconds before they hugged.

"The party will be over soon." She said, giving him another quick kiss on the cheek. "I'll need some help getting Lydia to her room once the guests leave, and then you could certainly leave if you wanted… but then again… my bed has always been _offly_ big for one person, and… I promise not to bite you this time."

Although Corvo didn't believe that last part, he was all for the rest… and it wouldn't kill Samuel to wait a little while longer for him to get back to the boat… or a _long_ while, for that matter.


	16. Chapter 16 Dunwall Tower

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Sixteen: Dunwall Tower**

The sun was just starting to come up when Corvo finally returned to Samuel's boat at the meeting point, and of course, the old boatman had been worried sick about him; fearing that the former Lord Protector had been captured or killed in his attempt to eliminate Lady Boyle. Now, considering himself to be a bit of a gentleman, he wasn't about to reveal that he had spent most of the night making love with _Esma_ Boyle, but the fact that Waverly was now in the hands of Brisby, seemed to satisfy him.

It satisfied Admiral Havelock and the others as well, once Corvo returned to the Loyalists at the Hound Pits Pub, but as much as they were ready to celebrate this latest victory, the only thing that the former Lord Protector wanted to do was go to bed. So he did, and the next two days were spent resting, at least as far as Corvo was concerned. Calista, the servant he had met before, was stepping into her new role as Emily's governess, quite nicely.

Once everything was said and done, he was considering keeping her on in the role permanently, since it was just as important for the little girl to trust the person taking care of her, as it was for her to be educated in the more important, and ridiculous, learnings of the court that Jessamine had once been forced to go through. Someone else could be brought on for that, but if Calista kept his daughter safe, and made her feel likewise, that was good enough for him.

As for the others, Pierro and Sokolov, who had finally been released from confinement, seemed to be getting along rather well. There had been some old grudge about Sokolov getting Pierro kicked out of some academy a number of years back, but apparently after seeing Pierro's work on the cure to the Rat Plague, the older man was beginning to regret that decision. So instead of staying hostile, the two of them began comparing notes, which was giving everyone at the pub a little more hope for ending the plague completely.

Havelock, Pendleton, and Martin had resumed their plots and schemes immediately after they had finished celebrating the result of Lady Boyle's last party, and after they had spent a day back in the populated areas of Dunwall, the Admiral brought back with him some exciting news. Apparently, now that the new Lord Regent's key allies had been dealt with, Hirram's base of power was crumbling at his feet.

"The traitorous rat's become a bit paranoid lately." Havelock explained during their next meeting. "Most of the nobility, the Overseers, and even the City Watch have abandoned him, so from what I hear, he's hunkered down in Dunwall Tower."

Corvo was thrilled that it was finally time to deal with Hirram, the man who was the head of the conspiracy to assassinate Jessamine, kidnap Emily, and blame it all on him… however, sneaking into Dunwall Tower was not going to be easy, considering how hard it was to get into the place when he had been _supposed_ to be there. Pendleton had suggested that he simply use the water lift that he had used during his return trip to the city, since it was the last place anyone would suspect… and it was better than no plan at all… but it was also a _really_ long climb.

"I really hope that you can pull this off, Corvo." Samuel said, getting them underway not five minutes later. "I didn't know the Empress personally, but this city deserves better than to be led by a no-good traitor… Corvo?"

"What? Oh, sorry, Samuel." The former Lord Protector replied, looking at the tower off in the distance. "It's just, the last time I was in the tower, I had to watch the woman I love get stabbed by… I don't even know who it was who _actually_ killed her, and that's the most frustrating part."

Corvo could kill or creatively punish everyone who had anything to do with pulling the strings during Jessamine's death, but even with all of their spies and information, the Loyalists didn't actually know who the assassin was. So even if Hirram fell, and Emily was put on the throne, the guiltiest person of this whole sorted affair would go unpunished… giving him an empty feeling inside.

"I know you like to surprise us, Corvo." The boatman continued as the tower got closer. "But just between you and me… are you planning to just kill him like the Pendletons, or are you gonna do something _creative_ like you did to Campbell and Boyle?"

"I'm honestly not sure." He replied, chuckling a bit at the question. "Right now, I'm more concerned with whether or not I can even get _to him_ in the first place."

Choosing daylight hours, since Pendleton believed that no one would be expecting to happen until nightfall, the two of them stopped talking, and even slowed down the boat so that the motor would be less likely to attract attention. This made the last few minutes of the trip feel even tenser while they floated over to the open water lift. Finally coming to a complete stop, Corvo looked up at how far he would have to climb, going so far as to sigh with frustration as he stepped off the boat, onto the rocky base of the tower.

Waving goodbye as soon as he was clear, the old boatman took off, leaving the former Lord Protector to figure out how he was going to get up there… well, there was one option, but he had been afraid to use it even since nearly falling to his death while going after Campbell. The Outsider's mark had allowed him to travel short distances in the blink of an eye, and the good news was that even if he missed the mark, the only thing for the former Lord Protector to fall onto was water.

Doing this required concentration, so Corvo tried his best to clear his mind, focusing only on the large drain pipe that was sticking out of the wall a few meters above his head. The mark on his hand began to tingle, just as it had done before, and Corvo was trying to make sure that he was ready, when he gasped, nearly falling from the top of the drain pipe that he was somehow already standing on top of.

All right, well he had gotten where he wanted to go, but there were several more pipes to traverse before reaching the top… so he concentrated again, closing his eyes in order to force out all other thoughts from his mind. This time he was going to be ready, no losing balance or getting startled, and after opening his eyes and taking a step forward to balance himself, Corvo nearly fell off since the pipe he was standing on was facing a different direction than it was a second ago… just managing to regain his balance and...

" _Hello, Corvo_." The Outsider said, catching the former Lord Protector's wrist to stop him from falling. " _Still can't get a grip on my magic, eh? Well, keep practicing… but, keep your mind on the task ahead… can't wait to see how it turns out_."

"Outsider, _please_." Corvo replied after regaining his balance. "I know you're trying to help me, and I'm _incredibly_ grateful, but please, _please_ , stop sneaking up on me."

The floating figure chuckled a bit, pretty much refusing this request without words before fading away, leaving Corvo to continue his way up the water lift. So far, his efforts to scale the walls using magic were working, and even if it took him a while to focus and concentrate, it was still faster than having to climb up the old fashioned way. So he kept going, although having to stop a little more than half way after suddenly feeling fatigued.

Caught off guard by the sudden loss of energy as if he had been using physical effort, the former Lord Protector was forced to sit down for several minutes on top of the latest pipe, until his strength slowly came back on its own. Did using the Outsider's magic tire him out somehow? If so, then Corvo would have to take even more time between uses… still faster than climbing by hand, so worth it in the end.

"Getting there, Corvo." He said to himself, resting now for several seconds after each one. "Getting there… hell, after _this_ , getting to Hiram should be _easy_."

Just one more pipe to go, and he would be at the top, so making sure that the last use of magic would go perfectly, he closed his eyes to focus… opening them just in time to gasp when he discovered that he was now at the top of the water lift… standing right in front of an equally startled guard. Moving reflexively, Corvo slugged him in the mouth before he could call out, and then spun him around in order to loop his arm around the guard's neck.

So that he couldn't struggle, the former Lord Protector leapt onto the guard's back, locking his legs around the man's waist, and then felling backwards so that the weakening guard was like an overturned turtle, and moments later he was asleep. Thankfully, the struggle had caused them to land in a shaded part of the chamber, and luckier still, none of the other patrolling guards seemed to notice that anything was wrong.

"Sweet dreams." Corvo said, patting the guard on the head as he got to his feet. "Gotta keep moving."

Pendleton's advice was good so far, with there hardly being any guards patrolling the water lift in the daytime, even though they were supposedly on high alert, and honestly… what kind of an idiot would try to break into Dunwall Tower… in the _daytime_? From his time living there, he knew that there should have been more guards around, but Hiram must've pulled them into the building in a fit of paranoia… unknowingly making things even easier for a certain former Lord Protector, who was currently sneaking across the stone chamber, getting a little further each time the guards turned around.

Sighing with relief once he was out of the water lift chamber, Corvo knew that he was in more danger of being discovered the farther he got, so taking cover behind a low stone wall, he took a minute to survey the path ahead. The first two things he saw were the bridge where Emily had so happily ran to meet him upon his return, and the gazebo where… where Jessamine had been killed. However, the third thing he saw were the long-legged patrolling Tall-boys… but even _they_ were dwarfed by the monstrosity that now sat in the center of the courtyard.

"What in the world?" Corvo whispered as he looked up… and _up_ at it.

It was at least three times as tall as the Tall-boys that walked the courtyard, and looked to be a machine… a kind of platform that slowly rotated around in a pattern… with several cannons mounted on the bottom… and searchlights that illuminated the place they were aimed at, even during the day. Each time a searchlight would pass over a Tall-boy, the light would change color to yellow for a second, but then back to white as it move on, as if realizing that it had spotted a friendly target.

" _His fear can be felt across the city_." The heart said, moving within his chest. " _His cohorts gone, his forces reduced, and now he knows it is only a matter of time._ "

"Well, he's right." Corvo said to himself, getting ready to move forward. "Hiram's time is coming."


	17. Chapter 17 The Lord Regent

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Seventeen: The Lord Regent**

The gigantic guard tower things were certainly powerful, and constantly vigilant, thanks to Sokolov's technology, but they had a single, crippling flaw: Even if someone couldn't get to the glowing tanks of whale-oil that obviously powered the machines, all Corvo had to do was wait until the searchlight passed, and then run right underneath before the light could begin its return trip in the other direction.

As for the Tall-Boys, like most members of the City-Watch, they preferred to stay within pre-determined patrol routes, and thanks to how loud the _thud-thud-thud_ of their mechanical footsteps were, the former Lord Protector had no trouble sneaking by them undetected. Scoffing a little at the ease in which he moved across the courtyard toward the tower itself, Corvo couldn't help thinking that the whole place would have been much more secure with good old-fashioned guard doing foot patrols.

Reaching the outer wall, and climbing his way up some conveniently placed scaffolding, which provided access to part of the stone that was being repaired, he ducked down to avoid the top of the wall, and entered Dunwall Tower for the first time since Jessamine had been killed. Climbing the scaffolding had allowed him to enter on the second floor, which consisted of wooden rafters high above the large main hall. As expected, there were a lot more guards down below; moving through doors, and up staircases, looking for… anything, he guessed.

Thankfully, none of the guards bothered to look up, giving Corvo a minute to figure out what his next move was going to be. Obviously, the new Lord Regent had to die, but he was likely cowering inside his private chambers, and those were going to be a lot more difficult to get into, than sneaking past a few Tall-Boys. Maybe he could separate a guard and steal their uniform, or with enough time studying their patrol patterns, maybe it would be possible to find a time when…

" _Attention Dunwall Tower Personnel_." The loudspeakers suddenly announced, nearly making him lose his grip on the rafter. " _By order of the Lord Regent, all unidentified persons should be considered hostile until evaluated by an Officer of the Watch. Any resistance to orders is to be considered an admission of guilt_."

Grumbling at first about how he had almost fallen down into the main hall, Corvo suddenly stopped mid-thought while a smile started to form underneath his mask. Doing everything that he could in order to keep himself from laughing as a new plan started forming, the former Lord Protector moved from rafter to rafter, turning away from the direction of the Lord Regent's room, and toward one of the taller towers of the building.

Taking advantage of Hirram's paranoia, mostly the part about having all of the guards in a position to protect _himself_ from harm, Corvo was met with almost no resistance as he moved toward the west tower, leaping down from the rafters and onto the nearby carpeted walkway. The door to this tower was unlocked, since after all, what could anyone _possibly_ gain by breaking into this place. There wasn't anything of value kept there… at least, not to anyone besides Corvo.

Quietly passing through the door, and closing it behind him, the former Lord Protector leaned over the railing of the nearby stairwell, the room's only feature, and sighed with relief when he saw that there were no guards on the stairs above. Still, there was no harm in being careful, so he remained crouched down, keeping underneath the railing while moving up, and up, and up the stairs, onto the fifth floor, where a room full of machinery and electrical equipment took up most of the space.

" _Attention Dunwall Tower Personnel_." The room's occupant said into a microphone. " _All new assignments report directly to the Duty Officer for immediate assignment. The Lord Regent's safety is the highest and only priority_."

Waiting until the announcer had finished talking and switched off the microphone, Corvo took out his collapsed sword, crept up from behind, and grabbed him. The announcer was much smaller and skinnier, meaning that the former Lord Protector had no trouble at all pulling him away from the equipment, before putting one hand over his mouth and extending the sword blade against his neck with the other.

"Stop moving." He ordered in a harsh whisper, making the announcer freeze in place. "You've got two, and only _two_ options, friend: You can cooperate with me, and stay alive… or you can do anything, and I mean _anything_ to resist me, and have the whole city hear your screams as I cut off… _things_."

Not surprisingly, the announcer was willing to cooperate, and fortunately for him, Corvo's plan was a relatively simple one. All the announcer had to do was read a _new_ bulletin over the loudspeakers, word for word, exactly the way it was written. Of course, that meant that the former Lord Protector had to actually write it down, which wasn't a problem once the announcer gave him some paper and one of his pens.

"All right, _this_ is the one." Corvo said, finishing the third attempt and passing it to him. "Read is _exactly_ as is."

The announcer took the paper, and his eyes widened soon after starting to read what was written, but the little man clearly wanted to stay alive, so he walked over to the equipment and flipped the switch that would broadcast to the whole city instead of just inside the tower. He then walked over to the microphone, re-read the written bulletin a few more times to make sure that he had it down, and flipped the switch.

" _Attention Citizens of Dunwall_." The announcer began, his voice echoing throughout the city. " _Urgent news from the City Watch… due to the overwhelming, and condemning amount of evidence that has been brought to light, an arrest warrant has been issued for Hiram Burrows for his involvement in not only assassinating our beautiful and fair Empress… but also in kidnapping Emily Kaldwin, heir to the throne, and… and in bringing the Rat Plague to Dunwall in the first place. Guards are ordered to arrest this traitorous boy-lover on sight… that is all_."

As soon as he was finished, the announcer shut off the microphone, and turned to ask if he did alright, but Corvo was already moving back down the stairs, and didn't hear all of it. Rushing down to the bottom of the tower, the former Lord Protector was about to open the door and begin searching for whatever the reaction to this broadcast was going to be… but then he stopped, ducking out of sight as a commotion was heard a little farther down the hall.

Leaning up and peeking through the door's window, Corvo was able to see that Hiram, wearing his night-robe, and with sword and pistol in hand, was rushing down the corridor. Two guards appeared behind him when he was about half way, and two more cut him off by entering the hall in front of him, and standing right in front of the door where the former Lord Protector was hiding.

"Lord Regent, we all heard the broadcast just now." One of the guards said. "We…

"Stay back, all of you!" Hiram screamed, aiming the pistol and pointing at them with the sword. "It didn't have to be like this, it _didn't_ , but the Empress… she just _wouldn't_ listen! With all the _beggars_ and _scumbags_ filling our city, I had no choice but to bring in the rats from _Pandiyssia_ , don't you see?! Everything would have been fine if the people had just followed orders, but _no_ , Jessamine kept on listening to the _wretched mothers_ searching for their missing _children_ , or those layabout _peasants_ looking for their wives who vanished looking for treatment. Then that _bitch_ started investigating foreign sources, and it was only a matter of time before she found the truth, so I had no choice! The Empress _had_ to die!"

Once the Lord Regent's ranting was finished, an awkward silence fell upon the corridor, with both him and the guards remaining still like statues, all while Corvo watched from behind the door. Only a few seconds had passed, but it felt like hours, all the watching and waiting to see what was going to happen.

"Wait a minute." Another of the guards said, stepping forward. "Are you telling us that you _actually did_ what that broadcast said? You killed the Empress, and brought the Rat Plague here… on purpose?!"

"Must be a _boy-lover_ , too." The first guard added. "Hiram Burrows, you're under attest for assassinating the Empress, attempting to destroy Dunwall, and… hell, that's enough to hang you, right there… take him to Coldridge Prison."

"No, don't do it!" Hiram yelled, threatening them with his weapons. "Think about it, we can still discredit the broadcast… imprison the announcer for treason, issue a retraction… and all of you walk away with enough gold to…

While the now former Lord Regent was talking, the two guards behind him were creeping up, grabbing his arms, and interrupting Hiram's words as they disarmed him, and tossed him onto the floor. The former Lord Regent kicked and shrieked while they shackled his wrists and ankles, but thankfully this was stopped when one of the guards stuffed a rag into his mouth, muffling the noise.

"You'll die for this, Hiram." The first guard said as the others stood him up. "Take him away… and strip him naked, too… a little _humiliation_ for the man who killed our Empress, eh, boys?"

The former Lord Regent's sobbing and muffled words grew fainter as the guards marched him off, leaving the former Lord Protector with an easy route to exit the broadcast tower. Back up into the rafters and out the damaged section of the wall, past the distracted Tall-Boys, who were probably just receiving the news about Hiram's arrest, and underneath the still-patrolling guard platform thing, and finally back to the top of the water lift… which was a _long_ way down.

"Of course." Corvo grumbled, crouching down to begin his climb. "It's always the last part that's the hardest."


	18. Chapter 18 Betrayed

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Eighteen: Betrayed**

"Huh?" Corvo asked, groggy and half asleep as he tried to open his eyes. "What? Where?"

There was an orange colored blur, and the ground beneath him was hard, like he had been sleeping on the floor all night… but why would he have done that? His body was sluggish, and slow to respond as he made an effort to sit up, succeeding enough to prop himself up against the slightly curved metal wall, and then rubbing his eyes until they slowly came into focus. The room he was in was tiny, spherical, and metal, with the only way out being up at the top, where the orange light was coming from the sky.

Fighting through the haze in his mind, the last thing he clearly remembered was going back to the Hound Pits Pub with Samuel after making it, well, most of the way down Dunwall Tower's water lift without falling, and having a small celebration. The Loyalist's Conspiracy had succeeded; the traitors were dead or dealt with, Emily was safe, and the next morning all of them were to emerge as heroes when they brought the little girl to the tower, where she would immediately pardon Corvo.

Then they had a drink… and everything went all sideways, with the former Lord Protector remembering making an effort to get to bed, but then everything went dark. So was that it? Had someone put something in his drink? But why? They had won… everything was going to be fine, at least once Sokolov and Pierro cured the Rat Plague, so why in the world would someone want to drug him?

Sitting up a little straighter, a few more memories started to emerge, like fragments of a dream that got remembered weeks later… they were standing over him… Havelock, Pendleton, Martin, and Samuel… saying something about getting rid of him, or… telling the old boatman to do it… something about making Corvo the scapegoat of… aw, he couldn't remember what they said… or anything else before being turned around and seeing Samuel's face.

The old boatman was making some kind of apology, it looked like… saying something about having no choice, but only giving him half of… something… probably the drug… which explained why the former Lord Protector was still alive. But that had happened near a waterway somewhere, so… how had he gotten into this spherical room? Suddenly there was some movement up above, and Corvo looked up to see three figures standing around the hole… figured clad in black with what looked like gas masks… and a man who… who he swore that he knew from somewhere.

"See, I told you he'd survive the poison." The unmasked man said to the others. "No doubt due to the Outsider's influence… yes, that's right, I know you bear his mark… looks kind of like this one, no?"

Taking off his glove, the unmasked man turned his hand so that Corvo could see what was definitely the mark of the Outsider on the back of his hand, just like the one he had been given in that strange place. But where had he seen this man before? Suddenly the man vanished, reappearing inside the room, right in front of Corvo in the blink of an eye, before grabbing him by the shirt and forcing him to stand up.

"Do you remember me, Corvo?" The unmasked man asked, smacking him in the cheek to help wake him up. "The name's _Daud_ … not that there were introductions before, being that I was _stabbing_ your Empress at the time."

Now it was all coming back to him, remembering fighting off those people who kept vanishing, and then being restrained while this man… Daud… ran his sword right through Jessamine's chest. With his first instinct being to kill, the former Lord Protector reached for the assassin's throat, but caught nothing but air when he vanished once again, reappearing out of reach with the others above the hole in the ceiling again.

"Oh, don't be like that, Corvo." Daud continued, looking down at him. "Yes, I killed your woman, but you nearly returned the favor… my friend, Billie lost her hand and one of her eyes to you during the job… she'll live, though… so will you, for a while… see, your friends wanted to dump you here and be done with it, but there's still a reward for your capture, so… sit tight."

With that, Daud and the others vanished, leaving the former Lord Protector trapped in the spherical room. His weapons, tools, and even his mask were gone, and with no visible way to reach the opening… well, there was _one_. Still not quite having a handle on the ability the Outsider had given him, Corvo closed his eyes, concentrating on where he needed to go, and then nearly losing his footing when he opened his eyes to find that he was no longer inside the spherical room… but standing on top of it.

Now that he could see the outside of his cell, it appeared to be an old bathysphere, sealed up and rusted except for the top hatch, but now that he was out… where in the hell was he? The part of the building he was in had been hollowed out except for a metal staircase that hugged the walls, and not a few meters below where he was standing… was water. Water, water, everywhere, below the floor, and out the windows to where the former Lord Protector could see that the whole area was partially flooded.

Well, that explained where he was… the old part of Dunwall that had been known for the past few years as the Flooded District; a good distance away from the Hound Pits Pub, and Emily… oh, those Loyalists were going to pay _dearly_ if anything happened to his daughter. However, first Corvo needed to get out of this place, and to do that, since there were no bridges or familiar landmarks in sight… he would have to go up the stairs.

Most in his situation would have probably just jumped down into the water and swam for it, but they would probably have also been eaten alive by the _Hagfish_ , a meat eating predator what frequented the waterways… especially _stagnant_ water like in the Flooded District. Still unarmed, the former Lord Protector made his way over to the stairs, trying to move as quietly as possible so that none of Daud's men would hear him moving up the stairs… if any of them were even still around.

Up, and up he went, having to move slowly in order to become aware of any enemies _before_ they saw him, but so far it appeared that he had the whole building to himself. Even after reaching the roof, and becoming completely exposed in the sunlight, nothing moved or made a sound, so Corvo relaxed, walking over to the edge of the building, and leaning on the short wall. Being the tallest building in Dunwall, Dunwall Tower was visible from almost anywhere as long as a high vantage point could be found, and…

"Let me save you some trouble, Corvo." Daud said, startling Corvo as he seemed to just _appear_ leaning on the wall next to him. "See that quarantine wall over there to the right? Your little hideout is right on the other side, but, uh… I wouldn't go there if I were you."

As if they were just two old friends chatting, the assassin continued his explanation by saying that as soon as Havelock and the others revealed that Emily was safe with them, they grabbed power, and sent the City Watch to round up the _last of Hiram's co-conspirators_ , as in _everyone_ at the Hound Pits Pub. As if nothing had changed at all, Havelock was now Lord Regent, Martin was the new High Overseer, and Pendleton was pretty much running Parliament, since Esma Boyle didn't seem to have the taste for politics that her elder sister had.

"Yes, sir… seems you've accomplished just about, oh… _nothing_." Daud continued, chuckling a little as he and Corvo turned toward each other. "Disappointing, huh? Let me guess… when the Outsider branded you like a _cow_ , he told you that you had a _destiny_ , and that you'd accomplish _great_ things, right? Sold me on the same line, oh, about ten years ago… got into it with a pretty young witch named _Delilah_ , and _saved the day_ … but then what?"

The assassin was starting to sound saddened as he described trying to find a purpose after defeating the witch, but all he had was his former profession, so he fell back into it, and with the Outsider's mark, no one could stop him. No one until a contract came in for Jessamine Kaldwin, and… he had killed her right in front of her young daughter. Something had changed from the moment he looked into Emily's eyes after delivering her to Hiram… like he had lost his taste for it all.

"I hope you don't expect me to feel sorry for you." Corvo replied once the story was finished. "You killed the woman I love, kidnapped my daughter, and sent me to prison where I was _one day_ from being executed."

"Sorry for me?" Daud asked. "No, not at all… I want quite the opposite. You see, Corvo, you're the first person that I've ever met to have the mark besides myself, which makes you the only person, at least in this city, who can defeat me. Yeah, I thought about suicide, or turning myself in, or just walking away from all this, but that's no end for _Daud the Knife of Dunwall_."

The former Lord Protector really didn't have time for something like this, even if he _were_ interested in taking on someone else with the Outsider's mark. Yes, Daud had killed Jessamine, and all that, but right now he had to save his daughter from the same Loyalists that he had conspired with to save her the first time. With both of them having the magic of the Outsider, and both having been trained in combat for a long time, a battle between them could take just as long… time that gave Havelock and the others an advantage with every second that ticked by.

"Tell you what, Corvo, we'll make it interesting." The assassin continued. "If you can defeat me, or somehow evade me long enough to escape from the Flooded District, you'll be the winner, and you'll never have to deal with me again either way… ready? Go."


	19. Chapter 19 The Knife of Dunwall

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Nineteen: The Knife of Dunwall**

Before Corvo had a chance to react, or even to think about what was happening, Daud vanished, reappearing on the other side of him with a punch that sent the former Lord Protector reeling backwards. Managing to get his balance by grabbing onto the short wall, Corvo was just turning back to face his enemy, when the assassin vanished again. This time right in front of him, Daud grabbed Corvo by the shoulders while jamming his knee into the former Lord Protector's stomach, stepping back, and spinning around so that his heel was brought across Corvo's face.

"You have to be faster than that, Corvo." Daud taunted as his opponent fell down. "Or is your lack of fighting skill the _real_ reason that you sneak around so much?"

Getting up to his hands and knees, Corvo focused his mind, and used his own power, vanishing and reappearing behind the assassin while swing his fist. However, Daud simply tilted his head to the side to avoid it, before bringing up his foot behind him so that the former Lord Protector took a hit to the groin, knocking the wind out of him. Now turning around while grabbing his wrists, the assassin did a kind of ducking down and spinning maneuver that resulted in Corvo also being spun around before landing on his face on the concrete roof.

"All right, Corvo, I'm going to give you a chance here." Daud said, walking all the way over to the other side of the roof. "Now, I'm about to run at you, and then I'm gonna kick your sorry ass right off the edge of this roof… not that there's anything you can do about it. Ready?"

With that, the assassin ran straight toward the former Lord Protector, but unfortunately for Daud, Corvo would be able to handle anything he could throw at him, as long as he saw it coming. Waiting until the assassin leapt into the air, Corvo stepped sideways, content to let Daud fly right over the edge and into the water. However, the assassin suddenly vanished in mid-air, reappearing coming straight for Corvo, and there was nothing he could do to keep from getting kicked in the chest.

Knocked off his feet, the former Lord Protector landed on a sloped, and very slippery section of the roof. He tried to grab onto something to stop his fall, but there was nothing within reach, and soon he was out of rooftop as well. Feeling the sudden freefall as the rooftop and Daud both got smaller, it only took a couple seconds for him to reach the bottom, where the sound of a loud _splash_ was muffled once he was underwater.

No doubt, the assassin would be following him, so Corvo swam sideways instead of upward, quickly finding the submerged door to the building he had been held captive inside, and floating through. There hadn't been time to take a full breath before going under, so it was a struggle to reach the surface again in time, as well as keeping his gasps for air quiet enough to remain undetected. Somehow the former Lord Protector had managed to avoid any Hagfish, which was a good thing, and now pulling himself up onto a floating piece of driftwood, he searched for the assassin.

"Hey, you didn't drown on me, did you, Corvo?" Daud's voice called from outside the building. "Come on, Corvo, don't _really_ try to evade me, that's no fun at all."

Now that he had a minute, and was able to watch where the assassin was standing on an exposed pole of some kind, through a small hole between the boards, he needed to figure out how in the hell he was going to get out of this one. Daud was an incredible fighter, especially with his knowledge of how to use the Outsider's gift, which was just a _little_ more advanced than his own understanding of it, meaning that there was no way for him to win in a stand-up battle.

It was so frustrating that the wall between him and the Hound Pits Pub was within sight, but somehow the former Lord Protector doubted that it would be a smart idea to try for it while Daud was still around… he could also simply wait him out, but… Emily probably didn't have that kind of time, depending on what Havelock's plans were for her. This caused an uncomfortable memory from back in The Golden Cat, and remembering what the Pendleton twins plans had been… he needed to end this quickly.

" _Hello, Corvo_." The Outsider said, making him almost unable to stop himself from gasping loudly. " _Ah, yes, Daud, the, ahem, Knife of Dunwall… you know, I've always wondered what would happen if two that I marked were to face each other, but, you know, the opportunity to see just never came up. He's a better fighter than you, that's for sure, but remember that he's still human, and sometimes even the greatest warriors fall to the unexpected_."

Not waiting for any kind of a reply, the floating figure vanished, leaving Corvo to ponder what he had said. The unexpected? What did he mean by that? The assassin was well versed in combat, and was somehow able to simply avoid his vanishing attacks, so what _wouldn't_ Daud expect? Whatever the former Lord Protector was going to do, it would probably be his _only_ opportunity to win, since his opponent was not the type to be taken by the same trick twice.

Maybe a distraction? No, that would be ridiculous, and Daud would never fall for it… plus, it would give the assassin a place to start looking for him… unless Corvo wasn't there when he started searching. The plan that formed in his mind was silly, but it was all he had, so he picked up a small piece of wood, and tossed it at the far wall of the building, while slipping back underwater. Only an idiot would swim again, for fear of the Hagfish, and as he swam back through the submerged door, the assassin hadn't moved from his perch.

Daud was rapidly turning around, as if expecting Corvo to appear behind him at any moment, but he _wasn't_ looking underwater. Touching the ground and grabbing a handful of dirt, the former Lord Protector looked up at his target, and vanished… reappearing in a splash of water right in front of his enemy, while throwing the dirt in his face. Crying out as the mud went into his eyes, Daud was unable to stop Corvo from tackling him off the pole, and Corvo vanished again, taking both of them into a shallower part of the water, where his feet could touch the ground.

Holding the assassin down just enough to keep his face underwater, Corvo slugged Daud in the face, making him gag and choke, trying to get air, but only receiving another punch to the face. _Wham! Wham! Wham!_ It felt so good to just beat the assassin senseless, that the former Lord Protector didn't realize that his enemy had vanished again, until his fist hit nothing but water. Thankfully, Daud was still trying to get the mud out of his eyes after reappearing on the roof of a nearby shed that was just barely sticking out of the water, giving Corvo enough time to grab a floating board, and vanish, himself.

 _Whack!_ Reappearing off to the side, and bringing the board across the assassin's forehead, Corvo nearly fell over when the board broke, and Daud was sent stumbling sideways, where he fell off the roof and into the water. Vanishing and reappearing with the intent of drowning him this time, Corvo grabbed nothing but water, as the assassin had already vanished again, this time not moving quite so fast when he reappeared leaning against a nearby wall.

In fact, a bloody handprint was left from using the wall to try and stand back up, and as the former Lord Protector approached, he saw the reason why: During one of his falls, Daud must've impaled himself on something, since there was a piece of metal sticking out of his side, leaving a dripping trail of blood as he slowly sunk down the wall into a sitting position. It was also a good thing that they had gotten out of the water when they did, since the blood in the water was drawing a school of splashing, hungry Hagfish.

"Not bad, Corvo." Daud groaned, trying to hold his side. "Not quite what I was expecting, but… not bad, either. Careful, though… I'm about to throw you for a loop… do something I never done before… I'm gonna ask you to spare my life."

"You can't be serious." Corvo replied, shaking his head. "After everything you did… to me _and_ my family? And then you pull this shit about a fight to the death… and then go back on it? What the hell is wrong with you?"

Apparently there was _plenty_ wrong with Daud, at least according to his reply, but somehow the assassin also felt that there was a possibility for so much more that he could be and do. Corvo had seen this before; men facing death, as in _really_ facing their own for the first time, tended to get all self-reflective and philosophical, spouting nonsense about a fresh start, and honestly the former Lord Protector wasn't really listening. At this point he was so fed up with these people that he just wanted all of them to shut up and go away.

"Get out." Corvo ordered sternly. "You and your side-show freaks pack up _right now_ , and get the _hell_ out of Dunwall… don't come back."

Daud chuckled a bit, groaning with pain as some more blood leaked out of his wound, and then he vanished, but this time there was no sign of him. Not wanting to waste any more time on these lunatics who were involved in the original conspiracy, the former Lord Protector didn't even bother checking to see if the assassin was really gone, instead rushing over to the wall that had been pointed out before, and searching for a way through. These quarantine walls were no laughing matter, however.

There was an entrance at the bottom, but it had been welded shut, meaning that this whole district had been abandoned to the plague, but there was an observation platform up toward the middle. Without the Outsider's mark, it would have been impossible for Corvo to make the climb, which was how the walls were designed in the first place, but since he both had the mark, _and_ was getting a hang of it, a moment later he was standing on the platform, and just as Daud had told him, the Hound Pits Pub was in sight through the other side where…

 _Boom!_ Suddenly there was an explosion of light and energy from the building, seeming to engulf the pub and the surrounding area in crackling blue light, before it became so intense that Corvo had to look away. Several seconds later the light began to fade, and as the former Lord Protector moved through the wall to the platform on the other side, he saw that Daud had been telling the truth about the guards. There were several dozen of them, scattered all around the district in what looked like a search pattern, but… none of them were a threat.

Every single guard; on the street, visible in building windows, all of them were lying on the ground, as if they had all just passed out in the middle of whatever they were doing. There was no structural damage to the district at all, not to the street nor the buildings, but with an explosion like that… what in the hell was going on over there?


	20. Chapter 20 Refuge

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Twenty: Refuge**

All of the guards in the whole quarantined district, at least as far down each street that Corvo could see, were unconscious, and there were _a lot_ of them. Havelock was clearly not playing around when he ordered the City-Watch to root out the last of _Hiram's_ cohorts, but now that some mysterious force had rendered them unconscious, it was an easy thing to make his way over to the pub… which was pretty much deserted, at least of the remaining Loyalists.

The good news was that there were survivors, not inside the pub itself, but barricaded within Pierro's detached laboratory. Apparently he and Sokolov had created a weaponized variant of the Wall of Light, but for some strange reason that they didn't understand, the blast had only rendered them unconscious, when it had been supposed to burn the guards to a crisp, like the Wall of Light did when something passed through the barrier.

Either way, this invention had allowed the two of them, Calista, and Samuel to survive the guards' assault. However, the bad news was that Havelock, Pendleton, and Martin had already fled to start asserting their power over Dunwall… and they had taken Emily with them. The plan, as far as Calista had overheard, was for them to present Emily to the people, and then lock her away until she was old enough to take the throne… which was almost _exactly_ what Hiram had planned.

"Well, we can't just sit here." Pierro said, looking at the whale-oil tank. "It's only a matter of time before the City-Watch comes looking for their friends, and I don't even know if there's enough whale-oil left to fire the weapon again."

"But where could we go?" Samuel asked, pointing to the guards. "See that? That's what we're gonna find _everywhere_ we go. Thanks to all the time he spent here, that traitorous bastard Havelock knows all the places we can use to hide out, and I bet he's got the guards tearing apart every poor house, and tavern in the quarantined districts as well."

"So what do we do?" Sokolov added, playing with his beard nervously. "We can't go, we can't stay… once again the Overseers, the Watch, _and_ the Nobles will be after us… it's like this whole conspiracy accomplished nothing at all."

"Oh, it did, just not for us." Calista replied. "But right now the most important thing is getting Emily back safely… poor girl, kidnapped again right after being rescued… she must be so scared."

During all of this chatter, nothing was really being accomplished as far as a plan for what they were going to do, or at least where they could be safe long enough to regroup. Admiral Havelock, or rather, _Lord Regent_ Havelock, had played all of them for fools, probably from even _before_ breaking Corvo out of prison, and all of it was just to further his own quest for power. The High Overseer, the Pendleton twins… which Corvo no longer felt bad about… and even Waverly Boyle was just to…

"Hey… hey, everyone, shut up… I have an idea." The former Lord Protector announced, quieting the room. "I think I… might know somewhere that we can stay for a little while, and, well… at least we know that the guards won't look for us there."

Thankfully, Samuel's boat was still waiting at the dock, since they were going to need it, and without actually telling them where they were going, instructed the old boatman to take them back to one of his previous destinations… in the more high-class part of the city. Instructing him to dock the boat inside one of the storm drains, at a spot that became obvious after the first bend, Corvo then told everyone to stay there until he talked with the owner of the house.

Yes, that was his plan, to seek refuge in the home of Esma Boyle, at least until they came up with some kind of a plan… but first he had to talk to her. The new Lady of the Boyle Estate was not too difficult to find; sitting on one of the sofas in the main hall in a pretty dress, sipping whiskey as if it were fine wine. This glass was spilled on the floor, however, when she saw that a certain someone was now in the room with her.

Esma's reaction to seeing him was, shall we say, positive? And after about an hour, the former Lord Protector was able to let the others know that they would be safe at the Boyle Estate for a while. The sitting room of the estate was far grander than what they had at the pub, and once they were seated, everyone just kind of stared when Esma joined Corvo on the sofa by sitting across his lap with her arms around his neck.

"So, your whole plan completely backfired?" Esma asked after a quick kiss. "Oh well, you all can stay here as long as you like… the house has been quiet with Waverly gone, and Lydia's just been… withdrawn."

"All right, I just have to say something." Calista spoke up. "I'm grateful and all that you're letting us stay, Lady Boyle, but didn't Corvo help kidnap your sister?"

The whole mood of the room changed now, with everyone clearly frightened of being turned away from the house, but instead Esma simply kissed Corvo again, and replied that she loved a man who _takes what he wants and doesn't let anything stop him_. No one could really think of anything to say back to that, so Corvo felt that it was best to get to business, now that they were safe from the guards.

"I doubt that they would take Emily to Dunwall Tower." The former Lord Protector suggested. "Seeing how easily I got in there to deal with Hiram, they're going to want to be somewhere really secure, at least until the power transition is finished… but where? The only place in the city I know of that's _that_ secure is Coldridge Prison, but I got out of there, too."

"Only place I can think of would be _Kingsparrow Island_." Esma explained. "Waverly and Hiram used to have these really boring conversations about money, and one of the things they talked about the most was building a kind of sanctuary out of the old lighthouse there… Hiram said that there was nowhere safer in all of Dunwall."

Her observations made sense, and even without some special sanctuary on the lighthouse, the place was a _fortress_ , a dozen times more secure than the tower had been. If the Loyalists were holding Emily there, the place was sure to be fully stocked with both guards _and_ Sokolov devices, but the good news was that there was nowhere else for them to go after that… Havelock and the others were trapped if that was where they went, and even the anger that the former Lord Protector felt toward Hiram and Campbell didn't compare to what he was planning for the Loyalists.

"If that's the plan, then we need to move." Corvo said, starting to move to get up. "Who knows what Havelock and the others are planning to do with Emily."

"You're not going anywhere, not right away." Esma replied, easily pushing him back onto the sofa. "You look exhausted, and besides, it's not even noon… you'll have a better chance of sneaking into a place like that after dark. So, I'll have the servants prepare rooms for your friends, Corvo, and then you and I can retire…

" _Hmph_ , I thought I heard voices in here." Esma's voice continued without her lips moving. "Well, I see that with Waverly gone, you've _already_ improved the quality of our houseguests… who shall we expect, tomorrow, then, the beggars from the distillery?"

Everyone turned their heads toward the door at the same time as a second Esma entered the room, but then the former Lord Protector realized that this had to be _Lydia_ , the one who had literally shot his mask off the other night. Smiling, and politely asking to be excused for a moment, Esma got up and walked over to her, grabbing her sister by the forearm, and pulling her along until they were both outside the room.

"Don't you _dare_ ruin this for me, you little _bitch_." Esma whispered harshly, trying not to be heard, but failing. "Waverly is _gone_ , and I plan on _marrying_ that man out there one day, so, yes, his friends are going to use a few of the guest rooms. Then Corvo and I are going to retire upstairs for a morning of passion before he falls asleep, and _you're_ going to join us."

Samuel spit out his drink when these words were heard, and Corvo wished that he still had his mask to hide his face when the others all looked at him, some, like Calista, with disgust, and others, like _everyone_ else, with envy. Now actually whispering too softly for anyone to hear, the remaining Boyle sisters appeared to be angry at each other, until Esma whispered something in Lydia's ear, which made her gasp. Now Lydia looked more surprised than anything, looking over at Corvo, and then saying something to her sister, to which Esma just nodded with a smile.

"Well, in that case… I suppose we should make him feel welcome here." Lydia replied, smiling a little and waving at him while she walked toward the stairs. "I hope you all enjoy your stay here."

Once she was gone, Esma clapped her hands, causing one of the servants to appear from another room, giving them instructions to prepare a room for each of their guests, as well as to set the table tonight for seven instead of two. Part of Corvo knew that they should be moving against Havelock and the others quickly, since each passing moment gave them more time to prepare for him, but Esma was also right… the former Lord Protector was tired from his fight with Daud, and without food and rest, there was a larger chance of failure.

After all, the next mission coming up, was likely to be the last of this whole conspiracy nonsense, and since the Loyalists knew that they were cornered, they were more likely to be more desperate as well. If the former Lord Protector wasn't at the top of his game, or even if Havelock and the others managed to see him coming, they could use Emily as a shield, or worse, simply kill her in an act of defiance.

Everything was riding on this upcoming assault on Kingsparrow Island, and the Loyalists were going to pay for what they had done.


	21. Chapter 21 Kingsparrow Island

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Twenty One: Kingsparrow Island**

Esma had certainly been correct about it being a better choice to enter Kingsparrow Island at night, since that night was one of the darkest that Dunwall had seen in a while, but that was due to the storm that was forming. Thick clouds blocked the moonlight, and the heavy winds that came along with the hard pouring rain masked the noise of Samuel's boat approaching, but the storm itself was also hindering them as much as helping, due to the darkness and waves.

"I'm glad you're here, Samuel." Corvo said just over the wind. "I wouldn't want to try this on my own."

"Aw, this is just a light drizzle." The old boatman called back as a wave moved them several feet up for a moment. "Don't worry, I can already see the lamps on the island."

Holding up his hand to block the rain, the former Lord Protector squinted to see the small lights in the darkness ahead, and wished that he hadn't lost Pierro's mask, so that he could still get a closer look at things that were far away. Of course, on the wish list was the collapsing sword, folding crossbow, and pistol that he had been carrying since the prison… Esma had been able to give him a new sword from her father's things, but they had agreed that a pistol would be too loud… since any attention brought to himself could endanger his daughter.

"Hold on tight, now, Corvo." Samuel called, slowing the boat's motor. "I'm gonna try to get us close to the rocks without crashing… pretty sure I can do it."

With the amount of light they had, and the storm, it was a miracle that the old boatman was able to get as close to the island as he did, so Corvo didn't complain about having to walk through a couple feet of water to the shore. However, before he could leave, Samuel made sure to tell him good luck, as well as asking the former Lord Protector to give his best to Emily, since after this was all over, the little girl probably wouldn't have time for silly old boatmen anymore.

"Oh, and just one more thing, Corvo… just between us." Samuel continued. "When we were at the Boyle Estate… did, you know… you, with, uh… Esma and Lydia… did that really happen?"

"I told you before, Samuel, a gentleman doesn't discuss such things." Corvo replied. "Now, go on, get back to the mainland before the storm gets too rough."

The old boatman laughed and shook his head before starting away, quickly vanishing into the darkness that surrounded the island, and leaving Corvo to begin navigating his way toward the lighthouse. The good news was that it was the tallest and most illuminated thing on the island, but the bad news was that the rest of the island was barely illuminated at all, allowing him to see the shapes and shadows of rocks and other obstacles just enough to avoid… most of them.

As suspected, there were guards patrolling, but they tended to stick to paths that took them near where the few lights were located, whereas the former Lord Protector was free to find his way through the darkness. Okay, truth be told, after about the tenth time of tripping over a rock or whatever, and eating the dirt, Corvo started to consider that maybe it would be a better idea to stick to the lighted paths, himself.

What he needed was a better way to sneak through toward the lighthouse, and that opportunity presented itself during the next patrol through the nearest area. Having done guard duty, himself, once upon a time, Corvo knew that in times of severe weather, when foot patrols were required, the guards would draw lots to see who had to do it. Then only one of them got soaked, while the others relaxed in the buildings, because after all, who in their right mind would be out looking for trouble during a storm?

Just like in the old days, it was only a matter of time before a single guard came walking down the path of lights, barely paying attention, and focusing only on how long it would take for him to get back into the dry building. Unfortunately for the guard, his return was going to be delayed indefinitely, as the former Lord Protector crept up behind him between lights, and brought the hilt of his sword down on the back of the guard's head with a loud _whack!_

For the simple plan that Corvo had to work, he needed to make sure not to kill the guard, at least not with a blade, since blood on the uniform would give him away, when he used it to sneak through. So once the guard had collapsed, he wasted no time in removing the uniform, getting dressed, and then kind of rushing back down the row of lights. He could see lights on through windows, and the entrance wasn't very far away, but in such small units where all of the guards knew each other's faces, there was only _one_ way to get past them.

"Wet enough out there for you, Pete?" The first one laughed as he entered. "Still raining, eh?"

Instead of responding, Corvo ducked his head down, rushing right past him while holding his stomach and groaning as if he were in pain. Understanding this universal sign, the others quickly cleared out of the way, even holding the door to the bathroom open for him, before laughing and returning to their card game. However, immediately after entering the bathroom, Corvo ducked out again before the door closed, and continued down the hall unnoticed.

So far, so good, he thought as he followed the corridor through the building. Without knowing the layout of the island, the only thing that the former Lord Protector had to go on was the general direction of the lighthouse. With the storm now raging outside, and all of the guards playing cards near their posts, since they knew that no one could get in while they were all sitting there, the only thing stopping him from finding his way to Emily was the fact that there were no directory signs in this place.

"Hey, why aren't you at your post?" A voice said from behind. "The Lord Regent wants one hundred percent security at all times."

"Right, that's why I'm here." Corvo replied, faking a cold and sneezing to disguise his voice while partially looking away. "I'm Pete, from the, uh… east post, and I was sent to provide extra security at the, uh, lighthouse entrance, but… I'm new, and I'm… lost?"

This other guard simply shook his head, smacked Corvo in the back of _his_ head, and gave him a quick set of directions that would take him to the lighthouse elevator, before also telling him to _pull his head out of his ass_. Thanking the guard for the help, and then honestly not believing that his ruse had worked, he waited until the guard had moved on, before following his directions.

Good thing that encounter happened, because this place was a maze, and without those directions, the former Lord Protector might have wandered around the fortress for hours without finding the entrance to the elevator, which he would have walked right past if he hadn't known what to look for. Bad news was that there were two guards already posted there, one on each side of the elevator door… they would have to be dealt with if he couldn't talk his way through.

"Hold it, the elevator's off limits." The first guard said, putting up his hand. "Lord Regent's orders."

"Right, I know, but um." Corvo replied, trying to come up with a good story. "I'm actually here to bring an urgent message to the Lord Regent, uh… you know, for his ears only. Security matter."

Unlike the one he had met before, these two didn't seem to be impressed with his story, reminding him that no one was to go up the elevator without approval coming to them from the Lord Regent, and _only_ the Lord Regent, so if there was any kind of special report, it would have to be called in from there first. If anything was called in to the lighthouse sanctuary before he got there, Emily might be put in danger, so just as the first guard was reaching for the intercom button, Corvo made his move.

Drawing his sword in such a way that it was brought right across the guard's wrist, there was a small spray of blood as the hand flew across the room, right into the hands of the startled second guard, who had reflexively caught it. While the second guard fumbled around with the hand out of shock, the former Lord Protector slashed with his sword again, cutting his throat, and then stabbing backwards into the first guard's chest, preventing him from calling for help.

The two of them slowly sunk to the floor, each breathing their last well before the elevator doors open after being called, and now it didn't matter if someone discovered the bodies, since he was already on his way up to the lighthouse sanctum. If guard duty was still done like in the old days, it would be at least an hour before anyone went around to check on the individual posts… plenty of time for the elevator to reach the top, and for Corvo to save Emily.

Higher and higher above the island fortress, through the elevator's glass walls he could see all of the little dots of light below, and maybe it was the anticipation of finally ending this whole nightmare, but it felt like the elevator was taking forever to reach the top. It did, however, finally come to a stop after passing through the bottom of the great sanctuary which had been built by Hiram Burrows, and then the doors opened to reveal… nothing?

The corridor ahead was empty, a simple metal tunnel that led into a larger chamber, dominated by a bronze statue of Hiram burrows, standing proudly, in contrast to how he was probably sobbing like a little girl inside of Coldridge Prison. The furnishings were elaborate, looking more like the Boyle Estate than a secret hideaway, but then again if someone was forced to go into hiding, why not be comfortable about it?

A staircase hugged the far wall, and more light was coming from the next level, along with what sounded like voices. It was Farley Havelock speaking, it had to be, meaning that he and the other Loyalists were right there… and now the former Lord Protector was creeping up the stairs… it was time to end this madness once and for all.


	22. Chapter 22 The Conspiracy Ends

**Dishonored**

 **Chapter Twenty Two: The Conspiracy Ends**

" _His mind is fracturing and splintering_." The heart said, moving in Corvo's chest. " _A broken man who sees the end, but is now more dangerous than ever_."

"Look, I say, look, my friends, at all we've accomplished." Havelock's voice said as Corvo crept silently up the stairs. "Martin, a man whose talents were wasted until the discovery of faith, leading to the mantle of High Overseer… and Pendleton, born youngest to a great house, only to dominate the seats of Parliament… and me… the young nobody who seized command of a ship, turned a group of more nobodies into sailors… formed a navy… and for a brief fleeting moment, was called Lord Regent."

Taking a moment to recognize the contributions of Calista, Pierro, and Samuel, all of whom he figured were killed by the City-Watch, the new Lord Regent almost sounded proud of them, before suddenly stopping… gritting his teeth, and letting out an angry growl, Corvo reached the top of the stairs just in time to see Havelock rip down a large map of Dunwall that was hanging on the wall.

The rest of the room was dominated by a large kind of conference table, where Martin and Pendleton were seated, but something was wrong… both men were not moving or speaking, sort of just leaning back in their chairs, while their cups that they had apparently been drinking from were lying on the floor nearby. Poisoned? Had the new Lord Regent gone so far out of his mind that he poisoned his fellow conspirators as well.

"Damn it, Martin, this is all your fault!" Havelock yelled, walking up to the corpse and shaking it. "If you hadn't broken Corvo out of prison… and if he hadn't been so damn good at his job! Yes, yes, I know, you're going to tell me that this is _my_ fault… that I got greedy, and impatient, right? Admiral Havelock, the man who leaps before he looks, right? Well, from nothing you were born, and to nothing you shall return!"

Roaring with anger again, this time the Lord Regent shoved the corpse and chair over, so that his dead friend fell to the floor, next picking up plates and other objects from the table and tossing them down on him. Kicking the body of Martin several times, Havelock stopped again, now glaring angrily at the corpse of Pendleton as it sat motionless on the other side of the table… and that anger only seemed to grow.

"Oh, you think this is funny, do you, Treavor?!" He screamed, rushing around the table and getting right into the corpse's face. "Oh, how we used to laugh about everyone knowing that Corvo was screwing the Empress, but what good does that do me now, huh? We've screwed up bad, and now Corvo's coming for me… I can feel him getting closer, can't you? Crossing this island fortress as easy as anything else… what, offer him money? You're _broke_ , Treavor, and now Corvo's _girlfriend_ is taking over Parliament, so what do you have to say _now_ , you spineless pomp?!"

Getting ready to strike the corpse, Havelock stopped, freezing in place when Corvo finally came out of hiding. Well, at least the deranged ramblings had stopped, but now the former Lord Protector had to deal with his former friend, and Emily was nowhere in sight. Unfortunately, the new Lord Regent started talking again, this time going on about the Loyalists starting out with noble intentions, but getting used to power, and blah, blah, Corvo had enough of all these people.

"Shut the hell up, Farley." He ordered, slowly approaching. "I don't care about your reasons, or your ideals, or anything… so just tell me where Emily is, and _if_ she is unharmed, you _might_ just come out of this in one piece."

"Certainly, Corvo." Havelock replied, taking something out of his pocket. "Your daughter is locked in the storage room right over there behind me… this is the key, right here."

Now walking over to him, the former Lord Protector pushed the new Lord Regent so that he fell into a nearby chair, before picking up the key from the table. So far it looked like this was all going to end without violence, since Emily had been through enough to last a lifetime, and Corvo was turning toward the storage room, when Havelock grabbed a knife from the table, stabbing it into the back of Corvo's leg.

Swinging his sword at his former friend, the clash of their weapons resulted in a deep cut on Havelock's arm while the knife flew from his hand, just as the former Lord Protector fell to his hands and knees. Holding his wounded arm, the new Lord Regent grabbed the key from the table, running over to the storage room door before Corvo could get back up, and using the key to unlock it.

"What are you doing?!" Emily yelled when Havelock stepped in and pulled her out by the arm. "Let go of me! You're hurting…

Stopping the little girls words by backhanding her so hard that her feet left the ground, Havelock then grabbed Emily by the hair, pulling her to her feet, and forcing her to run behind him up a nearby staircase. Corvo knew that from this place, there was nowhere to go, as did Havelock, so where was he going? Limping significantly due to being stabbed, the former Lord Protector followed, being more than a little surprised when he reached the top of the stairs, and found himself outside.

Ahead of him were the maintenance catwalks, used to access the outside of Hiram's sanctuary, but still, there was nowhere for Havelock to go, so why was he running all the way to the end of the catwalks with her? Forced to stop where only a _very_ long drop back to the island awaited, the new Lord Regent picked up the little girl, and slung her over his shoulder while he backed up to the very edge.

"Not another step closer, Corvo!" He warned while Emily screamed and covered her eyes. "I promise you I'll jump with this little brat, and won't that be a delight for the historians? Farley Havelock, the man who commanded nobles, and brought down tyrants… and Corvo Attano, the man who was good at everything _except_ saving Empresses."

"You really are an idiot, Farley, you know that?" Corvo replied. "With everything you all did to stop Hiram's conspiracy, Pendleton and Martin would have still gotten their positions, and you… you could've been _Royal Spymaster_. Instead, I'm going to give you a choice… release my daughter, and I'll let you leave… you get the hell out of Dunwall, and you never come back… deal?"

Remaining still as if considering the terms, Havelock didn't say or do anything for the longest time, nor did Corvo make a move on him. The former Lord Protector no longer cared about revenge, or justice, or anything like that, and he really was going to let him simply leave in exchange for Emily's safety. After all, exile was a lot better than death or a lifetime in prison, but would he take the deal?

"You'd like that, wouldn't you Corvo?" Havelock eventually replied. "Then you can put your daughter on the throne, live in luxury for all your days, and marry Esma Boyle… but the thought of living in a world where _you_ have everything, and _I_ have nothing… you lose, Corvo."

There was no way to stop the new Lord Regent from stepping backwards from the catwalk, but Havelock didn't know that Corvo had the mark of the Outsider, or that thanks to his fight with Daud, had a much better grasp of how to use it. Vanishing, and reappearing in the air with them just as Emily was starting to scream, the former Lord Protector pulled her from Havelock's arms, and vanished again, with both of them reappearing back on the catwalk while the new Lord Regent fell down into the darkness.

"Emily, are you all right?!" Corvo asked, putting her down, and getting on his knees to hug her. "I'll never let anything happen to you ever again!"

"Is… is it over now?" The little girl asked as they hugged. "I wanna go home… can we please go home now?"

The answer to that question was yes, and picking up his daughter in his arms, Corvo walked out of Hiram's sanctuary. With all those who conspired against the Kaldwin family dead or gone, it was an easy thing for the little girl to pardon him for everything he had been falsely accused of. Thus began the reign of Emily I, with her father, and reinstated Lord Protector at her side, shielding her from those who might seek to harm or manipulate her.

No longer hunted by the City-Watch, Pierro and Sokolov were able to concentrate on their combined work to cure the Rat Plague, and upon the distribution of the new remedy, a golden age was begun in Dunwall. Although uncomfortable with her father's continued relationship with Esma Boyle… eventually Esma Attano, Emily was happy that he was happy, and chose to spend most of her free time with her governess, Calista.

True to his word, the assassin Daud left Dunwall, and did not return, although it was said that he had a brief encounter with Thaddeus Campbell many years later. The former High Overseer was alone and penniless, but seemed to have learned the error of his ways, content to live out his days in simple isolation… like a kind of penance. Waverly Boyle, however, did not accept her fate so generously.

Agreeing to marry Lord Brisby immediately, her smitten husband mysteriously vanished during their honeymoon, and with no trace of him ever found, Waverly inherited all of his land and fortune, deciding not to return to Dunwall. And as for the Outsider, his curiosity into the actions and motivations sated, moved on, searching for new subjects to study, and genuinely happy that all had worked out for the best.

" _Enjoy the golden age brought about by your hand, Corvo_." The floating figure said during their final meeting. " _And now… farewell_."


End file.
